


Apology

by bsgmars



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5585344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bsgmars/pseuds/bsgmars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee and Kara give up on fighting off the inevitable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A stack of completed flight schedules sat in the middle of his desk. As apologies went, it wasn't bad.

Although he had only caught a glimpse of the edge of a flight suit disappearing around the corner, Lee knew it had been Kara. She was scheduled for CAP right about now, so she must have dropped the schedules off on her way to the flight deck.

_She must have overheard me griping about the damn things to Gaeta last night._

Barring his response to her shaky recitation of the dead, the two of them hadn't actually had a real conversation since their aborted attempt at intimacy and her declaration that there was nothing between them, but last night they had crossed paths briefly in the rec room.

_Gods, she had a double shift yesterday and had to be in the air early today. I bet she didn't even get an hour of sleep._

A small smile graced Lee's normally stoic face, and although he was still mad as hell at his "hotshot problem pilot", he appreciated the gesture.

_All right. Maybe whatever it is between us - whatever that last kiss was about - still has a chance._

Thinking back on the entire situation, Lee winced internally at how fast he had snapped back about her inability to deal with the live guys, as opposed to the dead ones.

_No matter what, that was uncalled for. I can't believe I threw Zak in her face like that._

Sitting down heavily, he contemplated the stack of finished paperwork in front of him. Even though Starbuck's distinctive scrawl was recognizable, she had obviously taken the time to write semi-legibly in spite of the late hour and her probable exhaustion after pulling a double CAP rotation. Once again, he felt a usually-elusive smile curling his lips. Lee had always prided himself on his control, but since the minute she opened Zak's apartment door so many years ( _a lifetime_ ) ago, he had known that she was a wildcard he would never be able to account for. Although he had always felt more than slightly uneasy about the attraction he had immediately felt towards his brother's fiancé, none of that mattered now - the worlds had ended and they had to play the hand they were dealt.

_But she can't let go! Not of Zak, not of the guilt, not of her damned pyramid player on Caprica._

And just like that Lee was furious again, wishing there was some way he could cut away all of the insecurities she used like a shield and just get through to her, maybe even have a conversation with words instead of fists.

_We don't talk. We never have. We banter and argue and throw punches, but we don't talk._

Realizing he had been staring into space for the past five minutes, Lee shook his head and stood, knowing that there was probably something he should be taking care of. There always was, and he was so godsdamned tired, but there was nothing to be done about it. Paging through the stack of schedules, he didn't realize what he had read until several pages later. Flipping back to the schedule for three days from now, he looked it over carefully. Apparently there was some kind of Fleet-wide holiday so the Admiral had just a skeleton crew running double-shift CAPs, allowing most of the pilots to take a much-needed day off.

_Well. That's interesting._

Starbuck and Apollo were listed as the sole pilots for the second shift. In the column next to their names where any special notations could be made, it looked like Kara had tried to tell him something, then crossed it out. Twice. Squinting, the only words Lee could pick out were "Apollo," "Lee," and "frak."

_Well... that's usually about as far as she gets when she actually tries to talk to me about anything important anyway._

Lee moved away from his desk, took eight steps towards the hatch, turned, and took another eight steps to the opposite wall. He always thought better on his feet and this office had seen its fair share of pacing - much of it inspired by a certain blonde Viper pilot.

Thinking back to what had probably prompted her to schedule them together, _he_ knew that _she_ knew that he had seen the regret in her eyes in those last moments before the hatch shut between them - the flight schedules were tangible evidence of that. In her own way, Kara was letting him decide if he wanted to fly together - if he wanted to have her voice in his head for what could be a very long eight hours. No one would blink if he changed the flight schedule, put some nugget in with Starbuck for some extra training, but... was that what he actually wanted?

_I don't know._

Lee sighed, the anger and embarrassment of the entire encounter still gnawing at him. He knew that his heated rejoinders had actually been aimed at Kara, not Starbuck, and that was what he truly regretted.

_Hell, maybe that's why she's fighting this so hard - I know her too well, know her vulnerabilities and how to hurt her the most. She doesn't let anyone in that close anymore._

With that thought, he straightened and set the schedules down firmly on the desk.

_I've got three days to decide. Well, two, if I'm going to make any changes. Doesn't have to be figured out right this minute._

With a feeling of reprieve, Lee nodded to himself, grabbed some notes off of his desk, and headed to what would probably be an interminable meeting with the Admiral, President Roslin, and Gauis-frakking-Baltar.

_Crazy bastard. Can't believe Kara left with him on Colonial Day. Frak. Have to get her out of my head._

_***_

_Three days later..._

Starbuck was nervous. _Visibly_ nervous, which caused the Chief no end of alarm as she was about to go out on what was supposed to be a normal, if long, CAP. She was on the hangar deck early, flight suit wrapped around her waist and helmet in hand, pre-flight check already done. Usually she came screaming down the deck stairs three at a time, making it into her bird and out of the launch tube on time by the skin of her teeth, but not today. Grumbling under his breath about irrational Viper jocks, he stopped short as his eye caught on the nameplate for the second Viper that was lined up next to the Lieutenant's.

_Captain Lee Adama_

_"Apollo"_

With those four words, everything became clear. Galen actually had to put his back to Starbuck for a moment, using the time to control the grin spreading across his face.

_Well, maybe all the tension of the past week is about to get resolved... Or I might not get these two birds back in one piece, if they decide to finally kill each other. Frak._

Although they never seemed to realize it, Apollo and Starbuck's demeanor often set the tone for the entire ship, and while everyone knew that _something_ unpleasant had happened between them, no one quite knew what _it_ had been.

With his face firmly back under control, the Chief turned and continued towards Starbuck, coming to a stop right behind her. Unable to help himself when he saw how distracted she was, he leaned forward and said loudly, "Everything okay with your bird, Lieutenant?"

It wasn't often that Starbuck was caught unawares, and she hoped her glare masked her start of surprise. Rolling her eyes, Kara ran anxious fingers through her hair and glanced again at the Vipers. Everything was fine with the birds, but nothing was fine one of their pilots. Three days. _Three days_ since she had left the damn schedules in Lee's office. She assumed that he noticed they would be flying together, but he had made no indication of his feelings on the subject. In fact, he seemed to have gone out of his way to avoid any possible interaction between them, speaking to her only when there were other people around and even then, only as the CAG to his lead pilot. There had been no sign of Lee and Kara, or even of Starbuck and Apollo, in their conversations.

She had half-expected him to immediately storm into her bunk demanding a change to the schedule, even though she had only completed them out of guilt in the first place. When that didn't happen, she started to get nervous, but if she was being honest with herself she knew that Lee had a perfectly good reason to ignore her. Every time she thought about the scene in the bunkroom she could feel her cheeks reddening in embarrassment - and it took _a lot_ for Starbuck to blush. He had been an idiot for asking her to slow down - he should have known better - but everything she had said afterward was utter bullshit and they both knew it.

"Frak," she growled, then blinked, realizing that the Chief was still standing in front of her with a look suspiciously like suppressed laughter all over his face. Straightening slightly, she tried to regain some semblance of composure. "The birds are fine, Chief. You take good care of them." Surprised by the unlooked-for compliment, Tyrol nodded in thanks and took a moment to really look at the woman in front of him.

She was back to staring at her bird, and at Apollo's, in a manner that was probably entirely unconscious. He could see her tracing the outline of Apollo's ship, making sure that everything was as it should be; meanwhile, she rarely spared a few seconds for inspecting her own Viper.

 _She always does that_ , he realized suddenly. _Any time both of their ships are on the deck, she spends far more time checking over Apollo's than her own. But,_ thought the Chief with a grin, _only if he's not looking!_

"It's been a while since I've seen you and the CAG fly CAP together. It's always... exciting."

Kara turned back to see the Chief gazing at her with knowing eyes, and she smiled wryly. "You don't miss much, do you Chief?" Without waiting for a response, she turned back to the Vipers. "Yeah, I guess it's been a while. I think the Old Man had something to do with it - said we almost gave him heart failure the last time, and something about the responsibility of senior officers to set a good example by not attempting homicide-by-Viper." She winked at him, remembering the daring game of "tag" that she had conned Lee into playing the last time they flew CAP together. He was the only one who could match her in the air, and her out-of-the-box thinking meshing perfectly with his precision and grace.

The Chief cleared his throat nervously, then took a leap. "Look, Lieutenant, Starbuck... It's the end of the worlds. Don't throw something away that could be good." And with that, he snapped her a salute and headed towards the other end of the flight deck, already yelling at shirking knuckledraggers.

"Nope," she murmured softly, "sure doesn't miss much."

"Ready to go?" For the second time in ten minutes, Starbuck was caught off-guard. She spun around to see Lee lounging against a tool cart, and had a brief, horrifying second to wonder how long he had been standing there. He smirked at her for the first time in a week, then moved to climb into his ship.

_Right. Probably long enough to hear something worth putting that smirk on his face._

Turning to her own bird, she threw a purely Starbuck grin over her shoulder. "It's going to be a long flight, Apollo. Sure you can keep up?" He just gave her that damned smirk again, making sure she knew he wasn't fooled by her bravado, and pulled on his helmet.

 _What the hell. Isn't he mad at me? Why_ isn't _he mad at me?_

Realizing that she was still standing at the bottom of the ladder, Kara moved quickly to the cockpit and strapped herself in. Her helmet went on last, and she heard the buzz of the comms activating. Dee's steady voice came through from CIC, clearing them for launch.

_Gods, I love this._

Inappropriate though it was (and no one had ever accused her of being sentimental), Starbuck was almost grateful for the war, if only because it meant she got to do _this_ every day. An almost inaudible sigh came through the headset, and she knew that Lee also felt the burdens lifting off of his shoulders - out here, there was just you, your bird, and your wingman. Nothing else mattered.

Back on the flight deck Galen Tyrol placed a call to the CIC, asking to be put through to the Admiral.

"This is Galactica Actual. Go ahead, Chief."

Clearing his throat, the Chief spoke into the handset. "Sir. Captain Adama and Lieutenant Thrace just launched for the extended CAP shift. I just thought... you might like to know."

There was a pause, and then "Thank you, Chief. I'll take it under advisement. Galactica Actual out." Letting out a breath, Tyrol was glad he had decided to make the slightly unorthodox call. There had been both amusement and hope underneath the Admiral's calm tones, and Galen knew that he hadn't been oblivious to the growing tension between the two best pilots in the Fleet. 

_Maybe the Old Man can steal a headset and sneak off to the Observation Deck to watch the show. It should be a good one._

_***_

Without any audible communication, the two Vipers began the first of many circuits of the fleet in perfect synchronization. It wasn't until almost 45 minutes and three laps of the Fleet had gone by that Apollo heard her voice over the comm.

"Apollo, Starbuck."

_She lasted longer than I thought she would. This might be the longest we've ever been in the same "place" without getting into it, lately._

After careful consideration and a few exasperated looks from both his father and the President when he was obviously lost in thought through various meetings, Apollo had decided to let the flight schedule stand as is. He had made an effort to keep everything as neutral as possible in the intervening days, avoiding Kara unless it was for official business and trying to come to terms with the fact that they had _both_ screwed up.

_She made the first move. Let's see where she goes with it._

"I hear you, Starbuck." Lee kept it short. The levity on the flight deck notwithstanding, he wasn't about to go in blind again - last time that had left him half-naked in the bunk room watching the hatch slam shut behind her.

He heard a slight chuckle - she knew what he was doing and was going to let him get away with it for now. "Just making sure you're still awake, Apollo."

"Just enjoying the ride, Lieutenant. We've got a long shift in front of us."

"Copy that, Apollo. Out." And, with that, she went silent again.

Kara was willing to give them both some time to unwind - nothing better than a long CAP shift to unclutter everything that built up inside the Battlestar. However, just because they weren't talking didn't mean they couldn't communicate...

Two laps later and without warning, Kara dropped underneath Lee's viper and then flipped upside down so that she was staring at a never-ending starfield. She heard him draw a breath and then he mirrored her move, maneuvering so he was flying canopy-to-canopy with her.

She didn't look down at him, not yet. Lee and Kara didn't have the best track record, but Starbuck and Apollo could read each other's minds in the skies.

_Let's see if that's still true. I hope the Old Man's not watching this time._

Kara increased her speed just a touch and then began to move her ship in a spiral around the other Viper. Picking up on her rhythm, Lee countered by flipping his bird upside down and spinning in the opposite direction so that they were dancing around each other in increasingly-intricate patterns. Pulling a bit in front, Kara slowed down until they were once again flying in stately order side by side, only this time she was slightly breathless.

Still not ready to risk looking at Lee, she spoke over the comm. "Not bad, Apollo. At least we're giving all the nice civilians a show."

He chuckled, a sound that hadn't been directed at her since _that night_ , and her shoulders began to relax. "Don't we always, Starbuck? We're always good for a show, in or out of the air."

_Well, I'm not going to get a better opening than that._

"Galactica, Starbuck. Requesting a secure line to Apollo."

"Copy that, Starbuck. Channel three is open."

In the CIC, Admiral Adama raised his eyebrows. Pushing away from the console, he reached for a portable headset and headed out the door. The CIC, like everywhere else, was running on a skeleton crew today. "Saul, you have the board. I'll be on the Observation Deck if you need me." With that, William Adama walked out of the CIC, heedless of his staff's knowing looks.

Adama paced slowly through the halls, marveling at the stillness. He knew, of course, that most of the pilots and deckhands were involved in a marathon Triad tournament that he wasn't supposed to be aware of, but not much happened on his ship that he wasn't privy to, eventually. The rift between his son and Kara Thrace worried him on both a personal and professional level - he cared for them both, and any schism had the potential to break apart the best flying team still in existence. He had been surprised but gratified when Chief Tyrol had called him earlier, and the relative tranquility of the CIC gave him the excuse he needed to make his exit.

Entering the silent Observation Deck, he realized that the CAP must be around the other side of the Fleet right now, but knew they would eventually make it back around. He settled into a seat in the front row and began fiddling with the headset. He smirked, knowing Lee would be shocked if he saw his father hacking into a secure line.

_They would both kill me if they knew, but I need my children whole._

"Something you wanted to talk about, Starbuck?" Apollo's voice filled his father's ears, and the Old Man smiled at the hidden amusement he heard there. He was never able to get Lee to loosen up, but apparently Kara could, even when they were seemingly at each other's throats.

Kara sighed.

_Might as well go for full colors._

"I'm sorry, Apollo. For all of it."

Apollo actually let go of the stick in surprise. His wings wobbled slightly before he came back to himself, but he knew she saw it. Surprisingly, there was no cutting quip flying at him across the vacuum.

_She's really serious._

Lee risked a quick glance across the space between the two Vipers, and even from his ship he could see that she was hunched in on herself, waiting for his response without looking over at him.

_This might be the only opening you ever get, and you're only getting it because we're in the air and no one else can see her looking so broken. Don't frak it up, Lee._

"Lee." His tone brooked no argument.

"What?"

"Lee, Kara. This is a conversation between Lee and Kara, not Starbuck and Apollo." Finally, he caught her eyes through the cockpit. He could see her wavering, see Starbuck trying to push to the front, to protect herself, but then Kara bit her lip and straightened her shoulders. A firm nod was all he needed to see that this was already going better than he had any right to expect.

"Have Lee and Kara ever actually _had_ a conversation?" Kara smiled a little when she asked the question, but she wasn't sure of the answer herself. Lee's sigh echoed across her headset and she saw him reach up wearily to rub his face before remembering his helmet was in the way.

"Not for a long time. Not with... everything." That word encompassed Zak's death and Lee's subsequent falling-out with his father, Kara taking the position on Galactica and Lee finally learning about Kara's part in his brother's death, and the aftermath of Colonial Day and Caprica.

_Gods, even without including the frakking Cylons we're screwed up._

That gulf of history stretched between them, bringing silence with it.

"Frak, Lee. Is there even any point to this? I'm just going to screw it up again the next time around. What's the godsdamned point?" With those frustrated words Starbuck shot ahead, rounding the corner of Galactica and shooting across the viewscreen of the Observation Deck.

Unaware of the small figure watching from the ship, Lee swore and shouted into his headset. Realizing that Starbuck was going to bolt a split second before it happened, he had been able to remain right on her wing. "Kara! Slow the hell down. I've never known you to back down from anything - are you really going to give up on this? On us? Oh, right, I remember - there _is no us._ Is that what you want to believe?"

_Not gonna get out of this, Kara. You started this conversation and you can finish it. Hell, if we can't manage to do that over the next seven hours there really is no hope._

Her voice was almost too soft to hear. "I miss him, Lee." No need to ask who she was talking about - anytime an important but anonymous "him" came up in their conversation, it always meant Zak.

"I know, Kara. So do I, every day. I would give my life to bring him back for you, but I can't." Lee's voice broke a bit at the thought of what life would have been like if his brother hadn't died. He wanted to believe that he would have been able to let them be happy, to live with Kara as a sister-in-law and nothing more. But, even now, he's just not sure.

"You know, that's where all of this comes from. Every frakking issue we have between the two of us, and there are a lot, comes from the fact that he isn't here anymore and neither of us know what the hell to do about it." The words started flowing from Kara's mouth - she had always been afraid that if she truly bared her soul to Lee, she wouldn't be able to stop.

"I can't figure out how to act around you. With your father, it's easy - his role doesn't change, regardless of which of his sons is still alive. But you, you went from potential brother-in-law to... what? Friend? More than that? I'm not good at making friends, Lee. Never have been. I drive people away and I'm good at it. Why won't you just leave me alone, before I break you too?"

The last sentence was barely a whisper and it broke Lee's heart. "You want to know why, Kara? You really want to know why?" She didn't respond, and he wasn't sure if he was glad of it or not.

_Fine._

"Because Lee Adama loves you." And with those words he knew that, once again, he had gone in blind and had to simply hope that she didn't rip his heart out for a second time.

The silence stretched. It was probably only a few seconds, but it felt like years. Her voice came to him slowly, tentatively. "You said that before. After Caprica. And I made a joke of it."

"Yes."

His voice was flat, and she knew that brushing off that first declaration, however unintentionally he may have said it, had hurt him. Kara had thought long and hard about this inevitable conversation, and had come to the conclusion that if it was going to happen, it was going to happen on her terms. Thus, the setting - she was never more comfortable or herself than when she was flying, and Lee was much the same. Gearing herself up, she tried to explain.

"I didn't know how to handle it then, and I wasn't kidding when I told you I was hung up on a dead guy." She paused, chuckled grimly. "I guess I should have been more specific about which one. I'm sorry I ran out on you, Lee. I, we... it was just too much."

"Ran out? _Ran out?!_ Kara. You left me half-naked. In the bunk room. Hot Dog wandered in a few minutes later and I was still standing there like an idiot, trying to figure out where the hell my clothes were!"

Her giggle caught him by surprise, and it was a struggle to keep a straight face. Looking back on it, the entire debacle _was_ somewhat amusing.

"Are you _laughing_ at me?" He swung his Viper around so he was nose-to-nose with her, flying backwards. "The nugget just stood there, trying to decide whether to ask his CAG what the frak he was doing. It was _not good_."

Kara could picture the encounter perfectly in her mind, and snorted. "Gods, Lee, to have been a fly on that wall..."

"You could have been! You could have been more than a godsdamned fly, that's for sure! If you hadn't lost your mind, Hot Dog probably would have gotten quite the eyefull."

Somewhere in the past few minutes, Kara realized, they had started to forgive each other. There was a lightness in Lee's tone that gave her hope, even though he was still legitimately pissed at her. Without thinking, she sped up the tiniest amount so that their Vipers were actually touching as they continued to hurtle around the Fleet.

 _Sorry_ , she tried to say with every contact. _I didn't mean to._ Tap. _I got scared._ Tap. _I can't lose you._ Tap, tap, tap.

Finally looking up at him, Kara was caught in the intensity of Lee's gaze. Even through helmets, viewscreens, and the vacuum of space he had the ability to stop her in her tracks.

"There is an us, Kara."

How could she answer with anything other than the truth, when he was looking at her like that?

"Yeah," she whispered, trying to keep equal parts of exhilaration and terror out of her voice. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Yeah, Lee, there is. You might just have to... remind me every once in a while. Don't let me forget."

His laugh was the sweetest thing she had ever heard, free and clear and _real_. "You got it, Lieutenant. I'll make it an order, if I have to."

_Not that she knows how to take an order, especially from me._

Lee knew that he had only won the battle, not the war, but he still felt a thousand times more confident that, eventually, they would figure it out. He was willing to wait. He always had been.

***

_On the Observation Deck..._

William Adama heaved a sigh, and slid the headset off.

_They are going to be all right._

Not right away, of course, but eventually. Although it was difficult, as a father, to contemplate his dead son's ex-fiancé falling in love with his oldest son, he would deal with it if it made them happy. A smile grew on his face as he thought back on their turbulent-but-heartfelt discussion, and couldn't hold back a chuckle at the scenario Lee had painted of his encounter with Hot Dog.

_Too bad I can't ever let him know that I know about it!_

Satisfied that his children were on the path to reconciliation, the Admiral of the Fleet headed to his bunk for some well-deserved rest.

_They will be the death of me yet, but I wouldn't have it any other way._

*******

There was silence between them again, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable or strained. She felt freer than she had since... well, since Zak was alive. Like the weight of the worlds had been lifted off of her shoulders, however briefly.

 _He's not leaving. Hell, I don't know if I could_ make _him leave - the man has endured beyond all reasonable expectations._

Somehow, this all felt inevitable - like reaching a destination that had been preordained since the moment she opened that apartment door and felt _something_ pass between the two of them. That night... they never talked about what almost happened after Zak passed out on the couch. She tried not to think about the heat of him leaning over her on the table, the smash of glass on the floor, but sometimes the memory ambushed her.

_Gods, I wanted him so much. Even with Zak five feet away, I wanted him. And... he wanted me. Even then it was obvious that he was controlled and careful about pretty much everything, but he almost threw it all away. Wonder if he ever thinks about what could have happened if that bottle hadn't broken? Frak it, I want to know._

"Lee?"

They had resumed a more normal flying pattern, staying side by side and maintaining a somewhat sedate speed. Startled out of his own thoughts, Lee threw a glance at his wingman. Starbuck sounded odd, even for her.

_Gods, what now?_

"Here, Kara. What is it?"

"That night. At Zak's. Do you ever think about it?"

It was like she punched him in the gut.

_Straight for the kill, like always._

"Gods, Kara..."

His voice was choked, and she smiled mirthlessly at the poleaxed expression on his face.

"Give me some warning next time you plan on throwing a curve ball of that proportion my way, okay?" He was stalling for time, still trying to get his bearings.

"Since when do you expect me to have any tact whatsoever?"

_She has a point._

Drawing a breath, Lee took another moment to marshal his thoughts, then spoke. "That night haunts me. You hit me like a ton of bricks, Kara - I never stood a chance. I knew your reputation, knew that you had broken all of my records at the Academy, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality of Kara Thrace. You know me, Kara. I never do anything without thinking it through at least three times running." He heard her snort, shook his head, and continued on. "With you, it's never been that simple. Gods, you didn't even _do_ anything and I couldn't tell which way was up. All I knew was that my little brother had fallen in love with this amazing woman, and all I could do was wish that I had met you first."

The last sentence was harsh, and Kara knew that Lee would never forgive himself for wanting what wasn't his. "I'm sorry, Lee. I never meant to come between you."

"That's just it!" His fervor startled her. "You didn't _do_ anything! You didn't - _don't_ \- have to. You won't cut anyone any slack, you are always yourself, and from that first night you treated me as if we had always known each other. There was no warm-up period, no getting-to-know-each-other - it was, as usual, straight on, full-tilt Starbuck insanity, and I couldn't get enough."

"Full-tilt Starbuck insanity was the only way I could keep it together when you were around. When I'm her, when I'm Starbuck, I can pretend to be fearless and no one sees through it. Even you, at first. Gods, I think the only person who _always_ knows better is Helo." He can hear the amusement in her voice, but behind her light tone is a weariness that he can fully relate to - Captain Adama and Apollo have little or nothing to do with _Lee_ , and it can be exhausting to keep them separate.

Seeing an opening for something he had been curious about and ready to switch subjects, Lee cut in. "What _is_ the story with you and Helo? I've always wondered about that."

Hearing the slight edge in his voice and more than ready to further lighten the mood, Starbuck couldn't help herself. "Aww, Apollo, is that jealousy I hear?"

Lee gritted his teeth and reminded himself that he had walked straight into that one. "You tell me. Do I have anything to be jealous about?"

She laughed softly. "No, not really. Karl and I grew up together. He's the closest thing I ever had to a brother, and he was always around to... help, whenever Socrata went on a tear." Her voice went flat and it didn't invite any further comment. Lee knew that her childhood had been less than ideal from clues he had gathered over the years, but he sensed that now wasn't the time to pursue that particular line of inquiry.

"So," he said lightly, "the reason he treats you like his bratty little sister is because that's what you are?"

"Watch it, Apollo. Just because we're having this friendly little interlude doesn't mean I can't kick your ass." Her growl made him laugh, and Lee grinned at the opportunity to get some of his own back.

"You know, Starbuck, you sure do talk about my ass a lot - the stick that's supposedly in it, kicking it - seems like you have an infatuation." He glanced to the side to see if she had matched his speed, and just caught a glimpse of the tail of her Viper as she sped past.

"Oh, Lee. You really have no idea what you are in for." Her low purr went straight to his core, and he struggled to keep his breathing steady as he raced to catch her.

"Enlighten me."

"Let's just put it this way. There is a running pool on Galactica with our names all over it, regarding the day we finally 'stop fighting and start frakking,' according to Helo. Who, by the way, I think probably orchestrated the whole damned thing in the first place."

_Wonder how many lollipops he has riding on us, anyway?_

"Is that right?" Lee's calm tone caught Kara by surprise - she thought he would be blushing and stammering the way he usually did. "Well. Maybe we'll give them all something to talk about, hmm?"

Kara was stunned. She risked a glance over at Lee's bird and saw that he was staring straight at her, a challenging smirk on his face. She felt her own grin rising in response - he knew she _never_ backed down from a challenge. "Maybe we will, Apollo. Maybe we will."

By the end of the CAP they had hashed out several more points of contention (Colonial Day, Lee's relationship with his father), had two minor blowouts (Anastasia Dualla, Sam Anders), and performed several displays of flying acrobatics that left them both breathless and giddy.

"Call the ball, Apollo. Welcome home."

"Copy that, Galactica. Apollo out."

They had switched back to the main frequency, so Kara was surprised when Lee's voice came through her helmet. "Don't forget, Starbuck. I'll make it an order if I have to. Remember your own rule - no takebacks."

Kara felt her stomach flip. This was all about to get very real, and exploring their relationship was much easier to do in the air than in the corridors of Galactica. She knew Lee was waiting for some kind of affirmative, so she simply said "Copy that, Apollo." And with typical Starbuck cockiness, added, "Hope you can handle it."

His only response was a low chuckle that sent sparks through her and made her breath catch. Kara was well aware that physical attraction had always been present between the two of them, but _gods_. If the man could do that to her with just his voice, she didn't stand a chance. 

_And now he knows it..._

*******

Although it fell right in the middle of what was supposed to be his off-shift, William Adama found himself on the catwalk overlooking the hangar deck just in time to watch his son and Starbuck execute picture-perfect landings. He chuckled to himself, noticing Chief Tyrol scaling the ladder up to Starbuck's cockpit to help her with the post-flight check. That was usually a task assigned to his knuckledraggers, so the Admiral figured he had some interest in the outcome of the CAP as well. Stepping back into the shadows, William Adama was content to watch the scene play out beneath him.

Both pilots completed their post-flight checks quickly and descended to the deck, already peeling flight suits down around their hips. Bill remembered that rush of adrenaline and invincibility, and smiled. 

_Nothing like it._

The Admiral missed flying, but he knew that even on his best day he could never have held a candle to Starbuck and Apollo together in the sky - and he had been pretty godsdamned good behind the stick. Starbuck's braying laugh pulled the Admiral out of his reverie and he glanced down to see her head thrown back, laughing at something the Chief said. She began to wave her hands in the air, illustrating some dare-devil move that she and his son had no doubt pulled during their extended CAP. Apollo raised his eyebrows and shook his head, obviously disagreeing with some part of her story, and as they turned towards each other, Bill finally saw _it._ Their interactions had always been dynamic, but there was something _else_ there now, a looseness that had never been a part of their unconventional relationship.

_Well. All right then. I had better schedule a meeting with the President to finalize the new fraternization policy or I am going to have to throw them both in the brig._

It wasn't common knowledge, but the Admiral and the President had been quietly preparing a revised version of the regulations, as the original policy was never meant to deal with anything like their current situation. Taking a last glance below, William Adama headed back to his quarters to place a call to Colonial One.

***

Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Starbuck glanced up to see the retreating form of the Old Man pacing back towards the main corridors.

_Heh. Probably heard about our little games out there and wanted to make sure his birds came back in one piece._

She smirked, knowing that she and Lee would probably get an earful, but it had been worth it. Turning back to the conversation, she realized that Lee and the Chief had moved towards his Viper so that Lee couple point out something on the undercarriage of the bird. Rather than moving to join them, Kara gave herself a moment to contemplate recent events.

Their conversations had been revelatory, to say the least - Kara hadn't known she had it in her to be so honest, and was pleased that Lee had reciprocated. As the CAP shift had drown to a close, however, she had worked up a good set of nerves, and by the time they landed Kara had been reluctant to leave the protection of her Viper, knowing Lee had meant it when he said no takebacks.

Starbuck shivered, the fear that was always there rising up and threatening to choke her. Her mother's words rang through her memory...

_Worthless._

_A waste of space._

_Not good enough to love._

She could feel the hard mask falling back into place, all of the resolve she had felt in the air draining away.

_What the hell was I thinking?_

And then, just as she was about to run ( _like always_ ), Lee turned back to her. 

Taking in her frozen expression, it only took Lee three quick strides to get to Kara's side, grabbing her elbow just as she spun, ready to flee. She wouldn't look at him, but stood stiffly in his grip. Without loosening his grasp (he knew how slippery she could be), Lee maneuvered himself around so that he could face her.

"Kara."

His voice was soft, but steady - and not a question. He didn't have to ask what was going on, he already knew, but had hoped it wouldn't happen so soon.

_How can someone so fierce be so scared of herself?_

"Kara. Give me your eyes."

At the quiet command he felt her let out a breath, and her eyes slowly rose towards his face. When she was looking him fully in the face, Lee loosened his fingers slightly and quirked an eyebrow at her - _If I let go, will you run?_ She bit her lip, took another deep breath, and slowly shook her head. Trusting her, Lee dropped his hand away from her arm but didn't step back.

"I want you to listen to me Kara, because I am only going to say this once." She nodded again, eyes wide.

"I will not push you. I will let you set the pace. I will let you decide what you are ready for, and I won't ask for more than you are willing to give. But I _will not_ let you run away from me. Not anymore. _No takebacks._ "

To his great relief, Kara lost the stiffness that had pervaded her body and met his gaze squarely. "No takebacks." The words were quiet, and it seemed that she was trying to convince herself more than him, but he would take it.

Knowing her like he did, he stepped back out of her personal space.

_Promised I wouldn't push, can't make myself a liar._

He let the tension flow out of his body, took a breath, and then grinned at her. Reaching out again to put his hand on her shoulder, he leaned towards her and sniffed experimentally. "Lieutenant... you smell like a latrine!"

Kara's mouth dropped open, recalling the first time he said those words. Starbuck smirk falling into place ( _she knew how to do this, they had always done this_ ), she moved closer, dislodging his hand from her shoulder. "Well, _Captain_ , you turned down my first offer to bathe me, so I guess you'll just have to deal with it."

His eyes lit up, pleased that she had remembered that little interaction. Slinging an arm around her shoulders, he steered her towards the hatch. "Come on, Lieutenant. Let's hit the showers."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Everyone on the Galactica knows when Apollo manages to get a hand up on Starbuck at the triad tables, or when Starbuck steps far enough over the line that Apollo finally loses his temper. The lowest knuckledragger knows that the mood of their morning run sets the tone for the entire day: joking and playing tag means that nothing has gone horribly wrong in the past 24 hours; Starbuck taking shots at Apollo and the CAG gritting his teeth and ignoring her means that the atmosphere is tense, but not impossible; silence and set faces - that means pilots were lost and that they are both trying to take it out on the deck beneath their feet, rather than on each other.

Everyone knows all of this (except for maybe the two pilots in question), but suddenly it seems that someone has changed the rules and neglected to post a ship-wide memo.

Four days ago they ran in silence, sneaking glances when they thought no one was looking. They both looked... nervous. That evening, the two of them wrought havoc at the triad tables, and although no one could prove they were cheating, invisible communication seemed to flow between the two senior pilots, and, as in the air, they were unstoppable.

Three days ago the corridors echoed with Apollo's taunts and teasing while an uncharacteristically-quiet Starbuck simply kept pace and smirked.

Two days ago the CAG was alone for his morning circuits, face set like granite. Karl Agathon was sporting a black eye and a limp and had been seen sparring with a vengeful Lieutenant Thrace the evening before.

Yesterday, neither pilot was seen racing the corridors but were the first into their birds when action stations were called in the pre-dawn hours. The deckhands tried to believe that the flush in their cheeks was simply adrenaline.

By the morning of the fifth day, the entire crew simply waited eagerly to see what would come next.

_A storage closet, somewhere on Galactica..._

"Oh gods, don't stop..."

Lee's moan of contentment echoed within the enclosed space and Kara smirked down at him, shaking her head.

"Begging, already? That didn't take long. You're getting soft, Apollo."

"Captain Pudding, that's me."

His reply was muffled but she still heard it, and filed away the self-inflicted nickname for future use - he always gave her such good ammunition when his guard was down. Looking down at the man sprawled beneath her, Kara couldn't help but lick her lips at the firm musculature currently underneath her capable hands. She had always known what a great body Lee had, but it took his little strip-tease in front of D'Anna Biers' camera for the rest of the Fleet to clue in to the fact that he more than lived up to his call sign.

The deep massage she had been giving Lee grew softer as her mind wandered, fingertips skimming smooth skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. It took his pained growl of "Kara..." to break her reverie and a blush stole across her cheeks when she saw he had turned his head to glance up at her, amusement and heat warring for room in his gaze.

"Sorry," she whispered quietly, hands stilling.

"It's okay," he said back, just as softly. Contrary to popular rumor they weren't "frakking like bunnies" ( _well, maybe they were, but it wasn't like_ that), as he had overheard it so elegantly stated - in reality, they were only just getting used to allowing any physical contact between them at all, after avoiding it for so many years. Despite their now-public status, there were still awkward moments from them both, when the years-long buildup was difficult to overcome.

Moving slowly _(don't scare her...)_ , Lee maneuvered his body so that he was laying on his back with her sitting over him. He reached out to take her hand, but otherwise stayed perfectly still. Not meeting his eyes, Kara swallowed and lowered her body to his, resting her head on his chest and keeping a hold of his hand. Letting her settle, Lee finally felt her racing heart steady, and only then did he move his other arm, holding her to him.

_This is insane._

If someone had told Lee a week ago that he and Kara would be _cuddling_ on the hard deck after he received the best massage of his life from her talented hands, he would have taken them straight to Doc Cottle to have their head examined.

_But, here we are. Five days, only one major blowout since the CAP, and so far mostly so good._

In a very real sense, Kara and Lee were starting from scratch - not that they were ignoring their history ( _impossible_ ), but trying to move forward in spite of it.

***

_After CAP, five days ago..._

Despite the teasing on the way to the showers after their marathon CAP, Kara and Lee parted ways and stepped into separate stalls, both determined to do this, whatever it was, the right way. Exiting the head quickly, Lee had ushered Kara into the empty bunkroom, and, once they had both dressed, led her to an out-of-the-way storage closet.

"All right. We need some ground rules." He watched her mouth curve into the smirk he knew so well, but when she simply nodded silently, Lee continued. "One. This is just between us. You and I both know that the rumor mill always works overtime where we are concerned - can you ignore it, or at least learn to live with it?"

Kara thought about that for a few moments. "Do I have to promise not to hit anyone?"

Unable to help himself, Lee grinned and chuckled. "That would be like asking the Cylons to play nice. I don't expect miracles. Just... try not to end up in the brig, I guess."

"Uh-huh," she murmured noncommittally. "What else?"

He was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and spoke. "I need you, Kara, and you know how I feel about you. I already told you that I wouldn't push, and I meant it, but you... you mess with my head sometimes." At her innocent expression, Lee rolled his eyes. "Screwing with me is practically a hobby for you, so don't give me that." She just grinned at him and Lee knew this was probably a losing battle. " _Anyway_. I don't always think clearly around you. So, if I go too far, I need you to tell me, not just run away." He left his words hanging in the air between them, and met her eyes.

_That's fair. More than fair, really. I've always messed with his head, and most of the time it's on purpose, so I should give him the benefit of the doubt if he's willing to take a chance on me._

Kara straightened her spine and met his gaze. "I'll tell you, Lee. I... need you too."

Relief flooded her body as the words left her mouth, as if each piece of honesty between them lifted an additional weight off of her shoulders. Happy, but never willing to leave well enough alone, Kara's stance shifted, moving her well into Lee's personal space.

_I'll show him "hobby"..._

She let her eyes skate slowly over his form, and then met his eyes once more - "And, Lee? I have _always_ wanted you."

Her throaty, provocative tone nearly undid him, and he actually reached out to brace his palms against the cool metal of the hatch, caging her between his arms. There was barely an inch of space between them and Lee was gratified when he heard her breath hitch - that small sound gave him the confidence to return the favor, raking her body with his gaze before dragging his eyes up to meet her own.

"There you go again. Difference is, now I get to mess with you right back." Lee felt a thrill at the way her eyes widened, and knew she wasn't used to him actually pushing back.

"Unless you tell me not to, Kara, I am going to kiss you now."

_Time to show you I can play this game too._

Kara's already-wide eyes went huge and her face flushed, but she didn't say a word. The silence stretched between them as Lee gave her every opportunity to duck out of his arms. Finally breaking his stillness, Lee tilted his head down towards her. Instead of moving towards her lips as she expected, he tilted his head to the side and nuzzled her hair out of the way, placing one soft, scorching kiss on the sensitive skin behind her ear.

_Dear. Gods._

Without conscious thought, Kara's hands came up to clutch the material of Lee's tanks as his mouth continued to explore her throat. Bolts of electricity shot through her and she couldn't have left his arms if she wanted to. One of Lee's arms dropped to wrap around her lower back, pulling her to him and baring her throat even more to his wandering mouth.

She was drowning in him and she didn't care.

Minutes or hours later, she realized that he had stopped kissing her and that his forehead was resting against her own as he tried to steady his breathing. Coming back to herself, Kara raised a tentative hand to smooth through his hair and slid her other arm around to hold him.

"You are going to be the death of me." Lee said the words with absolute certainty, and Kara tightened her arms around him.

Gathering her courage, she lifted her head and said clearly, "You're the reason I always come back."

He didn't have to ask what she meant - Lee knew that everyone in the ragtag Fleet sometimes wished that they had been groundside when the bombs went off, dead instantly instead of this slow perish-by-inches they were engaged in. Nodding his understanding he pulled her close again, content to just be able to touch her without repercussion. His breath pulsed against her overly-sensitized neck and Kara shuddered against the sensation, suddenly unable to exert the Lee-centered self-control she had worked so hard to establish.

"Gods, Lee." The words were breathy, almost begging, and she wasn't sure she actually meant to say them out loud.

"Yes?" He whispered into her ear, causing another shudder. Tracing the delicate shell with his tongue, Lee delighted in the fact that, for once, _he_ was the one driving _her_ crazy - usually it was the other way around. Keeping a firm grip on his own self-control, Lee slowly brought his hands up to her face and, finally, placed a soft kiss on her full mouth.

Kara froze for a heart-stopping second, and then gently kissed him back before slowly pulling away. Drawing a shaky breath, she backed up until her back met the cool metal of the hatch. Bracing her trembling knees and tilting her head back to rest against the surface, Kara took several deep breaths before looking back at Lee.

"Well. This is going to be interesting."

At Kara's deadpan words, Lee simply couldn't contain himself anymore and burst into (almost) hysterical laughter. As he stood there, bent over with his hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath, Kara could only look on in bemusement.

_Well, frak. I already broke him - that didn't take long._

"Lee?" He held up his hand, silently asking for a few moments to compose himself. When he finally straightened, Kara was struck by how _young_ her CAG looked.

_If I can make him look like that... maybe this does have a chance after all._

"You done?" she asked, smirking.

"I... I think so. Gods." Lee shook his head, finally getting his breathing back under control and meeting her eyes.

_She looks beautiful._

The thought came unbidden ( _it often did_ ), except that now he didn't have to feel guilty - he _could_ look at her, was finally allowed to.

"So..." he trailed off awkwardly, not sure where they stood even though she had been melting in his arms mere moments ago.

"Yeah." Starbuck nodded in agreement, although she wasn't quite sure what she was agreeing _with_. She shifted her weight and looked around the almost-empty space. "Lee, what is this place?"

He grinned and turned to view the small room. It held a couple of crates set up as a makeshift desk, a chair, and a roll of blankets set neatly in the corner. "This is my refuge. Welcome."

She sauntered past him, fighting a smile at his little-boy tone and making sure her arm brushed his as she passed. Then, narrowing her eyes, she spun around and looked hard at him.

_Frakking choir-boy innocence. How does he still pull that off, after all we've been through?_

"This is where you disappear to, when I can't find you anywhere. This is where you go when you are supposed to be _helping me with flight schedules._ " Lee held up his hands in mock-surrender at the accusation, shrugging away her acerbic tone.

"Yep. Home away from home," he replied negligently. At first he thought she was going to pursue the matter, but she visibly pulled herself back and continued to look around the room.

_She's already trying to control that temper of hers._

"Frak, Lee, how did you find this? _No one_ has a hiding place anymore!" She understood the draw to find a place to just _be_ , especially since Hot Dog of all people had stumbled upon her own hidey-hole - an unused weapons locker off of the Observation Deck.

Something flashed across his face - _pain?_ \- before he answered her. "I used to pour over the schematics of every ship my father was stationed on so that I could, I don't know, _impress_ him whenever he deigned to visit us planetside." His voice was tight and Kara knew enough to not interrupt. "Once it sunk in that we were going to be on this bucket for the foreseeable future, maybe forever, I started looking for all of the little corners I remembered from those plans. Every time something... bad... happened, I would wander the corridors hoping to just find some _space_. This is the only one I've found so far that isn't being taken up by rations, or medical supplies, or gods know what else."

"Wha-" She had to clear her throat, afraid of the answer, "What had happened before you found this place?"

He sat down on one of the crates and looked up at her, his eyes sad. "Colonial Day."

"Frak." The word was a hiss, and she turned, not able to face him.

_Colonial Day. That means... gods, he probably spent every moment he could in this_ closet _while I was on Caprica. With Sam. Godsdammit._

"Stop it, Kara. We talked about this during CAP, and we were both in the wrong." His voice was even, but made of steel. Obviously, he wasn't up for a re-hashing of their various sins against each other. Kara fought down the white-hot rage that was rising up in her, the perpetual self-loathing, and took one deep breath and then another. When she was sure that picking up her feet wouldn't send her running in the other direction, she turned to face him again.

"I know. I know. Frak," she said again, still visibly agitated. He smiled wryly - she always had cursed like a Marine. He patted the crate next to him, motioning for her to sit. Calming, she looked at the small space available next to him and made the determination that being in such close physical proximity was not going to do a _thing_ to keep her mind on this new communication... thing... they were trying. So, with a small smile and a rueful shrug of her shoulders she moved a few paces to the right and settled down with her back against the wall.

Lee's eyes laughed at her. "Afraid to get too close, Lieutenant?"

"Hmm." It wasn't quite agreement, but Lee decided to take it as such. "Got anything to drink in this hole? I'm parched."

Without replying, Lee reached behind him and dug through several of the crates, emerging with a bottle of the Chief's brew that was still three-quarters full. He dangled it from his fingertips, offering it to her. With a raised eyebrow she accepted it and took a small swig. "Holding out on me, Apollo?"

"Oh, like I'm the only one with a bottle stashed away! Except I already know where you keep yours." He smirked at the incredulous expression on her face. When her eyebrow quirked in challenge, he leaned towards her and said slowly, "Ceiling panel in the gym, above your favorite weight bench." He enjoyed the way her mouth dropped open - it wasn't often he got one over on her.

"What the frak, Lee, how did you know that? Not even _Helo_ knows that! What are you, stalking me?" Her tone was light, but there was tension behind her words. Lee knew she was a slightly shaken by that small piece of knowledge - she guarded things that were _hers_ closely, no matter how inconsequential.

"No, Kara," he said, patiently. "I was chasing after you, we had been arguing about something - don't remember what, now - and you must have thought you lost me but I saw you duck into the gym. For some reason I didn't barge right in, and I saw you pull down your stash from the ceiling."

"Huh. Sneaky." Kara's tone was dismissive, but her mouth turned up at the corners.

"From you, that's a compliment," Lee replied, grinning. She rolled her eyes, took another sip out of his bottle, and passed it back to him.

The silence stretched, but not uncomfortably, as they slowly passed the bottle back and forth. Finally, Kara shook her shoulders and took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for a blow.

"I drink too much."

Lee almost choked, sputtering on the liquid in his mouth. Clearing his throat, he looked at her, waiting for the rest of it - because he knew there had to be more than that simple statement. Kara had _always_ indulged, but they both knew it has gotten out of control lately, especially since Scar had appeared on the Dradis.

"That night. When I fell over the table. Everyone was laughing and cheering, _Starbuck's at it again_ , but all I could see were you and Helo, the only two people in the room who actually cared about _me_ , and the disappointment all over your faces. I was so drunk I couldn't even stand up, but I still knew that I was completely out of control and that I didn't want to be that way anymore." She stared moodily at the bottle dangling in her hand to avoid meeting his eyes.

"I'll help you."

At those three small words, Kara looked up at him in astonishment. "Just like that? It's that easy? After everything I've done?"

"Yeah, Kara, it's just that easy. Hell, I didn't even know how to bring the subject up, and you were strong enough to do it yourself. That's a solid first step, and we can work on the rest of it together." Lee paused, and then continued on. "You should... you should talk to Helo as well, if you can. He worries about you."

Kara perked up at that. "You boys talk about little ol' me?" She fluttered her eyelashes, and then laughed at his slightly guilty expression. "Seriously though, I thought you two didn't like each other."

"We don't _know_ each other, but we have something in common - _you_. And you, Starbuck, would be a full-time job for any five people, much less an overworked CAG and a Cylon-loving Raptor pilot."

She considered the seriousness behind his teasing words and made a decision. "All right. I'll talk to him - on my own time, Apollo." That last was a warning, and he nodded in agreement.

"On your own time." With that, he leaned over and snagged the bottle from her, sticking it back inside the crate he used for storage. Lee watched Kara's eyes follow the bottle for a moment and then track back to his face. He smiled at her, and allowed himself to close his eyes and simply savor these moments of friendship and honesty between them.

When he opened his eyes again, he swallowed and realized that the tables had been turned. Starbuck was standing, leaning casually against the wall, lighting up a cigar.

_Where the frak does she_ keep _them?_

Her smirk dared him to ask the question, but he held his tongue and waited for Starbuck to speak. Her other hand was busy on the zipper of her hoody sweatshirt - up and down, up and down - deliberately driving him around the _frakking_ bend. Steeling himself not to react, he continued to wait her out.

She caught his eyes and he couldn't move. She let smoke trickle out of the corner of her mouth ( _the mouth he had always found so fascinating, and somehow she knew it_ ), and pushed off the wall. Moving towards Lee, Kara set the cigar down on a handy crate and let her Starbuck persona take the reins completely - it was time to let Lee know that he wasn't going to have all the fun here.

"Apollo." His call sign came out in a slow drawl, as if she was savoring it. She was standing right in front of him, and didn't give him time to react when she straddled his legs and set herself firmly onto his lap. Lee jerked, as if coming out of a trance, and Kara let loose a very un-Starbuck-like giggle. Sitting like this, with him, she could almost believe that they could really make this work, could overcome all of the history that said otherwise. Schooling her face back to triad-blank, she leaned a little further into him.

"Lee." She said his name again. "We've covered a few of my sins, so it's only fair that we discuss yours."

He couldn't think with her sitting on him like this. Swallowing again and knowing he was way out of his league, he managed to ask, "What... what might those be?"

"Well," she replied, leaning back to release more smoke ( _Lee had never found smoking attractive until he saw her do it_ ), "there's really just the one I'm interested in, for now." Unwilling to walk into whatever ambush she was setting up, Lee remained stubbornly silent and tried to regulate his ragged heartbeat. Kara grinned, knowing the effect she was having on him, and leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"Lee. I have just _got_ to know - what is it going to take to get that stick out of your ass?" After the final word left her mouth, Kara mirrored his earlier actions and ran her tongue along the outside of his ear, then bit down sharply on the lobe. Lee's entire body spasmed at the contact, and he was gripping the edge of the crate so hard he dimly heard it crackle in protest.

_Oh no..._

With a final groan, the abused crate gave way beneath their combined weight and went crashing to the floor. Lee grabbed at Kara while trying to brace his own fall but they ended up sprawled on top of each other, broken fragments digging into his back.

"Holy frak!" Kara's startled exclamation was more of a squeak ( _although she would never admit it_ ), and she struggled to push herself up and off of him, sultry Starbuck attitude vanishing in the rising cloud of dust. Before she moved for than a few inches, Lee's hands wrapped around her waist and jerked her up and under him. A thrill went through her at how easily he handled her, but she ruthlessly tamped it down and looked up at him.

Lee was grinning, and Kara knew in that moment that she would do everything in her power to make him do it more often.

_He really is beautiful, and he has no idea. Apollo indeed._

Before she finished the thought, though, Lee's expression changed to one of gleeful wickedness. Kara tensed in reaction but wasn't quick enough to stop his hands from skimming down her sides and begin to tickle _ruthlessly_.

"Lee! Lee, stop it! Lee!" She was gasping, trying to force her voice to stay calm. It was a losing battle, though, as he gripped her even more firmly and stretched his legs over hers to keep her in place. Losing all control, Kara began to scramble against him, writhing and laughing until they were both breathless.

"Give?" Lee stilled his tormenting fingers and smirked down at her. When she wrinkled her nose at him but didn't forfeit, he twitched his fingers again and sent her back into giggles.

"All right! Okay, you frakking bastard, I give! I give!" He laughed at her then, and rolled over to lie next to her, his arm still draped over her stomach. When she could breathe again, Kara propped her head up on one hand and looked down at him. "You. Are a dead man."

"Promises, promises," he taunted her, slipping his hand under the bottom of her sweatshirt to rest against her soft skin.

"Oh no, Apollo. You have no idea. Dead. And gods help you if you ever tell _anyone_ about this - space is a big place, they'll never find the body." He just laughed and pulled her closer so that her head was resting on his chest.

"Don't worry, Kara. Your secret is safe with me." He was murmuring into her hair and she relaxed against him, enjoying the play of his fingers over her skin. It was so rare now, to just touch someone or be touched. There was never any time for it, really.

"I remember that day, you know, the summer after we met, when you and Zak ambushed me. You pinned me, and he was relentless - made me forfeit, like you did just now. Wouldn't admit it to myself at the time, but half the reason I was out of breath was because you were touching me too. Felt so guilty, with Zak being right there." She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

To Kara's surprise, he chuckled softly, although there was sadness behind the sound. "I remember that too. Vividly. I couldn't believe that you had such a _girly_ weakness!" She poked him then, and he spent several seconds trying to capture her wayward hands. When they were both still again, he continued. "That summer was the best of my life. Even though I couldn't have you, it was amazing just spending so much time with the two of you. It was perfect, and so were you."

Her heart actually skipped a beat at his simple words.

_I don't deserve you._

She kept the thought to herself, though, and replied. "I'm not perfect, Apollo. You know that better than anyone." Her voice was rough, full of emotion.

Lee tightened his arms around her, unwilling to let her try to pull away. "I know that you captivated me from the moment I saw you and that I've never escaped. I know that you loved my brother and that you did everything you could to make him happy, even though we'll never know what might have been. I know that you... took care of my father, when I couldn't. Wouldn't. And, Kara, I know that you are so much stronger than you know. I love your flaws - perfection would be boring, if it actually existed." Kara was silent, but snuggled in closer to him and let her eyes drift closed, warm from his body and his words.

Nothing more was spoken as the two ace pilots of the Colonial Fleet drifted into peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Four days ago they ran in silence, sneaking glances when they thought no one was looking. They both looked... nervous. That evening the two of them wrought havoc at the triad tables, and although no one could prove they were cheating, invisible communication seemed to flow between the two senior pilots, and, as in the air, they were unstoppable._

"Up, Apollo."

Kara's voice in his ear woke him quickly, but for a minute Lee couldn't remember why he was waking up on the floor, rather than in his bunk. His confusion must have shown on his face, because he blearily saw Kara smirk at him, and then caught a hint of uncertainty behind her eyes. As the events of the day before came rushing back, Lee reached out instinctively to grab her hand before she could move away.

"Morning."

His voice was gravelly from sleep, but Kara had months of practice at acting like it didn't affect her. Instead, she squeezed his hand once and stood up, beginning her usual morning stretches. As Lee finally roused himself fully, he realized that she had changed clothes and that his running gear was piled next to him on the deck.

"Since when are you up before me, Starbuck?" The question was genuine - he almost always had to prod her out of bed for their morning laps. She glanced at him and quirked her lips self-deprecatingly.

"I tend to be the first one up when I'm sharing a bunk - or the floor - with someone else. Figured I'd let you sleep for once, so I grabbed our gear from the bunkroom." What she didn't say was that she had woken in a panic to find herself entangled in his arms, and had almost not returned at all - only the twitch of Helo's bunk curtain and his nod of encouragement had given her the guts to gather changes of clothes for them both and slip back out of the hatch, none but Helo the wiser.

"Thanks." The statement was voiced casually but Kara felt the weight behind it. Lee finally gained his feet and stretched, pulling his arms over his head. "Glad you came back."

_He knew her so well._

"Me too."

Her predatory purr caught him by surprise ( _although it shouldn't have_ ), and Lee was embarrassed to find himself blushing. Her amused chuckle broke the tension and he let go of his stretch and reached down to grab his clothes. Kara, he realized, had taken the easy way out and changed while he was still asleep. He looked from the running shorts in his hands, to her, and back again.

"Problem, Apollo?" Her question was a challenge, and, as always, Lee accepted without a second thought.

"Not at all."

With that, he dropped the shorts to the ground and quickly stripped the dirty tanks off of his chest, then reached down to loosen the drawstring of his sweats. Seeing that she wasn't going to give him any privacy, Lee decided to let this little power struggle ( _and what wasn't, between them?_ ) play out. Holding her gaze, Lee pushed the sweats to the floor and stepped out of them, leaving him clad only in standard military briefs. Kara's cheeks pinked, but her smirk grew and she still didn't drop her eyes.

It wasn't like they had never seen the other naked - to the contrary, it was impossible to maintain modesty in the Colonial Fleet, as co-ed military service had been established years ago. Most of the veteran pilots had the ingrained courtesy to keep their eyes to themselves as much as possible, but Apollo and Starbuck had never played by any rules but their own. Lee pretended that he didn't feel Kara's eyes on him when he stripped down in the head, and Kara ignored Lee's stare when she strutted around the bunkroom in nothing but her sports bra and briefs. It was a game between them, always without any clear winner.

Breaking the stillness, Kara swayed several steps towards him and then reached down to pick up his running shorts. Straightening slowly, she pressed them to his bare chest and then winked at him. "Whenever you're done primping, Apollo, I'll be waiting."

Lee watched her turn and step through the hatch, and only let out the breath he had been holding when he was certain she wouldn't hear.

_Gods, what she does to me._

Moving quickly now Lee finished dressing and crossed to the hatch, knowing that Starbuck wouldn't wait long for anyone - not even him.

_Maybe especially me._

Kara hoped that Lee couldn't see how her hands were shaking as she opened the hatch, and sighed in relief once it closed behind her. Dominance games were nothing new between them, but there was a new level of intensity that left her breathless, and a little bit ( _a lot_ ) afraid. Glancing up and down the empty corridor, she continued stretching in an attempt to burn off the excess nerves that Lee always incited in her.

_This place is a frakking miracle - no one has even passed by that I've heard, and it's so godsdamned quiet I can actually hear myself think for once._

Hearing the hatch creak behind her, Kara straightened and was surprised by how quickly Lee came through, his eyes searching the hall before he even cleared the doorway. When his gaze fell on her, Kara saw something ( _relief?_ ) pass over his face, but it was gone in a split second. Shrugging away the warmth that shot through her, Kara tilted her head at him. Lee nodded and they turned as one, falling into an easy pace, completely in-step with one another.

"Kara...?" She heard Lee's voice over the slap of their feet and smiled to herself.

_Five whole minutes - that's longer than I thought he'd last._

She had deliberately kept them in the lesser-used portions of the Battlestar so that he could say whatever he needed to without half of the Fleet as witness. Glancing over at him, she lifted her eyebrow in question but didn't slow down.

"We're still doing this, right?" He was nervous but determined.

"Yep." She tossed the reply out there with typical Starbuck flippancy.

"Good." She could hear the smile in his voice and was hard-pressed to keep her own face smooth. There was a finality in his tone that almost made her feet falter - he really wasn't going to let her slip out of this.

_Right. Guess we're really_ are _doing... whatever this is._

With that slightly unnerving thought to spur her on, Kara picked up the pace and turned towards the CIC. If Lee was surprised that she was finally heading for their usual route (which inevitably crossed paths with his father) he didn't say a word, but she thought his steps sounded lighter than usual.

_Frak!_

Kara quickly slanted her eyes away from Lee, as he once again caught her in a stare. They had made three circuits, and it was getting harder and harder for her to concentrate. Kara's only consolation was that she had felt his eyes on her more than a few times as well.

_Keep it together, Thrace. Just another morning jaunt, like all the rest._

She actually snorted out loud at the ridiculousness of _that_ thought, drawing a questioning look from her companion. Ignoring him, Kara once again picked up the pace, enjoying the way the breath caught in her throat. They had both been pushing harder than usual, and Starbuck reveled in the physical effort - it helped distract her from Lee's presence next to her. Apollo cursed under his breath but matched her speed.

It wasn't until they were pelting the final stretch towards the bunkroom that Lee saw his father ahead of them in the corridor. He would have been comfortable with a quick salute, but as Starbuck's feet slowed so did his. The Admiral had turned at the sound of pounding feet, pausing until the pair drew up next to him.

"What do you hear, Starbuck?"

Adama's tone was easy, and Lee tamped down a flash of envy at the effortless relationship between Kara and his father. However, he knew how important this daily exchange was to both of them so he tried to keep the emotion off of his face.

"Nothin' but the rain, sir!" Kara's reply was cheerful and quick, her lips falling into a grin. Jogging in place, she cocked her head at the look the Admiral passed over both of them.

_Gods, could he...?_

Her train of thought was broken as the Admiral spoke up again.

"Good morning, Lee."

Awkward as usual, Lee stumbled over a greeting. "Good morning, Admiral... Dad."

Mentally rolling her eyes at both of them, Kara couldn't help but remember what Zak had told her about Lee's relationship with their father.

_He's everything my father wanted me to be. He's a soldier. A warrior. Inside and out. Next to Lee, I'm a kid playing dress up. No, his problem is that he's so pissed at our old man that he can't see how alike they really are._

"Something on your mind, Starbuck?" The Admiral's inquisitive eyes met hers, and Kara just shook her head in amused resignation.

"Like father, like son. Zak had the two of you figured out a long time ago."

It was rare for her to mention his name, especially in the middle of Galactica's busy corridors. Both men drew their eyebrows together in confusion, and the mirror image was too much for Kara. She burst into a bray of laughter that had only the hint of a sob behind it.

"Gods, he was so right." She almost whispered the words, but they both heard her.

"Want to let us in on the joke, Starbuck?" The Admiral's voice was a growl, covering the long-carried grief.

"You two," she said sharply, pointing to each of them, "are too alike for your own good. The worlds ended and somehow you both survived, together. Do you know what the odds of that are? Even _I_ wouldn't bet on them." Grinning unrepentantly, despite the tears in her eyes, Starbuck tipped a wink and a salute to the Admiral and had a small smile for Lee before she turned to continue towards the bunkroom.

William Adama met his son's eyes, and he could see the rueful acknowledgement mirrored in them - they both know that she was right.

"When she's right, she's right, son. Zak... wouldn't want us to be like this."

His father's voice was low, but sincere. Fighting the twisting in his stomach, Lee nodded once and met his father's eyes. "I know, Dad. I know." With a small but genuine smile, Lee gripped his father's shoulder once, hard, and then turned to follow Starbuck down the corridor.

Looking after the two of them, the Admiral of the Colonial Fleet could only shake his head in bemusement and hope that he, who had weathered the destruction of twelve worlds, was up to the challenge the two retreating figures represented.

_Time to get your act together, Old Man, for both of them._

If the voice in his head sounded suspiciously like that of his youngest son's, well, William Adama decided that was only fitting.

_I'm going to try, son. I am going to try._

***

They had managed to act normally ( _for them_ ) after the conclusion of their run. Lee had noticed a look of amusement on Helo's face but, well, that was probably inevitable - the tall Raptor pilot didn't miss much when it came to Kara Thrace and her well-being. After quick showers ( _virtuously separate_ ), both pilots had been swept up into the day's events - Kara flew a CAP rotation and worked a maintenance shift, while Lee worked on flight schedules and caught up on the paperwork he should have done the evening before. If the deck crew noticed that their interactions were both more formal ( _Captain, Lieutenant_ ) and less tense ( _the teasing glint in the CAG's eyes, Starbuck's wider-than-usual smirk_ ), they just attributed it to the fact that no pilots had been lost for almost a week and thanked the gods that the two ace pilots were laughing instead of screaming - or throwing punches.

However, if the deck crew en masse was oblivious to the implications of said laughter, Chief Tyrol was constantly holding back chuckles of his own. The urge had started when Starbuck positively _bounced_ down the stairs to the deck floor, cheeks flushed and a genuine smile on her face. Catching his glance and his knowing look, Kara winced a little and then rolled her eyes at him - but her smile never dimmed.

_Interesting. Wonder how long it'll be before the CAG shows up._

Galen thought it was telling that Apollo didn't appear on the hangar deck until five minutes before the first CAP shift was due to land. As usual, the comm in the hangar had been tuned to the pilot's frequency in case of emergency, so he knew that Starbuck had been in rare form, teasing and egging her nuggets on, but also patiently (for her) walking them through several advanced flight maneuvers. She had even been civil to Kat - Tyrol could count the number of times _that_ had happened on a single hand.

As Apollo made his way around the deck, checking in with various crew members and just being the CAG, the Chief marveled at the differences between the arrogant pilot who had brushed off his initial greeting upon arrival to Galactica and the confident, approachable leader Apollo had become since the end of the worlds.

Captain Lee Adama _would never have taken the time to stay informed of all of the deckhand's "pet" projects, but the CAG of the last Battlestar in the Fleet certainly does. My knuckledraggers may not be as easy with him as they are with me, but they respect him and know that he'll listen if they have something to say._

Tyrol nodded approvingly and turned his attention back to the Vipers that were streaking into the landing bay. Most touched down without a hitch, although Hot Dog came in a little too hot and left skid marks on the deck. Starbuck brought up the rear and landed her bird with careless grace - as the last one in, she had the least room for error but still made it look easy.

_One in a thousand pilots with that kind of skill, and somehow we end up with both Starbuck_ and _Apollo at the end of the worlds - almost makes me believe the gods haven't forsaken us after all._

The nuggets were loud exiting their cockpits, all of them waving their hands enthusiastically through the newly-taught maneuvers, boasting of their skills and ragging on mistakes made by others. Starbuck looked on indulgently from a few steps away, shaking out her sweat-soaked hair and peeling her flight suit down to her hips. It was only because Galen was paying attention to them both that he caught the way Starbuck turned her head and unerringly met Apollo's gaze from across the bay, although she couldn't have possibly known he was there. From his vantage point, the Chief had a clear view of the way they both went stock-still, eyes locked for an unending moment.

_They aren't going to keep their secret for long, going on like that._

It wasn't until Kat waved for Starbuck's attention that the interlude was broken, and Tyrol was, again, forced to fight back a grin at the stunned look on both of their faces. Starbuck was first to recover, easily responding to whatever Kat was saying, but it took Apollo few seconds longer to regain his bearings.

_Poor bastard. Woman like that would knock anyone off their game._

Finally breaking free from the cluster of nuggets, Starbuck sauntered up to her CAG, eyes still shining with the sheer joy of flying. To the Chief's amusement, she actually stopped in front of Apollo and gave a snappy salute, a grin playing around her lips as she held position. Apollo looked surprised for a moment, then gave her a knowing look full of both resignation and amusement.

"At ease, Lieutenant. Report?"

_How are we going to play this, Lee?_

Kara tucked her hands into the drooping pockets of her flight suit and concentrated on keeping her tone light and ( _she hoped_ ) casual.

"Normal CAP, nothing out of the ordinary to report." Then she grinned. "Taught the nuggets how to execute a Picon barrel roll."

Lee's eyebrows flew up - that was an extremely advanced maneuver, and certainly not a part of the normal flight training regime.

"How did that go?" His tone was dry, but the heat in his eyes told her that he remembered how the two of _them_ had performed that particular maneuver in perfect synchronization during their most recent outing.

"Not bad. Hot Dog... was Hot Dog. But Kat almost has it down, and the rest are coming along as well." Lee was glad to hear pride in her voice - she was an excellent instructor and he was glad that Zak's death hadn't ruined that for her.

"Good work, Lieutenant. They're a credit to you." They had unconsciously moved closer to one another, and by this point they were practically breathing the same air. The sound of a throat clearing behind them had both officers jumping apart, flushing guiltily.

"Excuse me, Sirs. We need to clear the deck so the next CAP can launch." Chief Tyrol's tone was normal, but Starbuck and Apollo both saw the amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Sorry Chief, of course," Apollo mumbled, moving quickly towards the edge of the hangar and away from the Vipers that were being wheeled into position. By the time he looked up, Starbuck was halfway across the deck in pursuit of her nuggets. Just as he was cursing himself for being _so frakking obvious_ , she turned and gave him a blinding grin over her shoulder. As Lee's entire frame sagged in relief, he heard the Chief speaking softly from beside him.

"You are a brave man, Captain. Brave, or suicidal."

Lee stiffened for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Turning to face the Deck Chief, he drew a breath to reprimand the unprofessional comment but stopped short at the sympathy and understanding he saw in the other man's gaze. Letting out a short bark of a laugh instead, Apollo shook his head and shrugged.

"You're not wrong." He didn't bother to clarify which he was - brave or suicidal.

_Both. Just admit it - both._

The Chief mirrored the CAG's shrug as his own thoughts turned inward, to his own personal life. "Women. What can you do?"

"Not a damn thing, Chief. Not a damn thing."

After a moment of silence, Apollo shook himself and clapped the Chief on the shoulder. "Good work Chief, as always. Carry on." With that, the CAG exited the flight deck and Galen Tyrol turned to roar good naturedly at his crew, issuing orders to get the next set of Vipers ready for launch and pushing his own troubles to the back of his mind.

After the CAP launched, Chief Tyrol was busy directing those who had a maintenance shift towards the birds that needed fixing. Although he saw Starbuck jogging back down the stairs, he didn't bother telling her where to go or what needed to be done - she could take care of their little fleet of Vipers almost as well as he could and there had always been an easy respect between the two of them because of it.

_Not so many curses or thrown wrenches today,_ Galen mused. Not that there was silence from Starbuck's little corner of the deck - she spoke to the Viper ceaselessly, alternately cajoling and railing against parts that were barely functional - but there was no anger or frustration in her voice, only sarcastic determination.

_If she wasn't such a hell of a pilot, I'd hand off my job in a heartbeat. Ahh... that didn't take long._

As he watched, Captain Adama descended to the flight deck, obviously ( _to the Chief_ ) trying to vary his path before, inevitably, ending up next to Starbuck's outstretched legs. Galen remembered the first time he had seen them in that particular position - he had told Starbuck of Apollo's apparent death, and she had thrown herself into repair and maintenance without another word. He would never forget that hard-as-nails Starbuck had been rendered practically speechless when, miraculously, Apollo had pulled her out from underneath her Viper. That was the first time the Chief had seen any compassion from the young Captain, as well as the first time any hint of the intense relationship between the two pilots had been apparent. Nonchalantly, Tyrol wandered nearer to the dynamic pair, curious to see what would happen next.

"Hey." Kara had heard his familiar steps before she heard his voice, but she still had to squeeze her eyes shut at the single word, remembering that first time. Taking a breath to quiet her suddenly-racing pulse, she drew upon Starbuck.

"Captain. Little busy here."

Lee rolled his eyes and squatted down on his heels so that he could peer at her under the Viper's chassis. Feeling reckless (but still glancing around to ward off any prying eyes), he slid his hand along the deck next to her, feeling for the soft skin between her tanks and her pants. As his fingers reached their destination he felt her flinch away instinctively, then settle. Dragging his fingers back and forth, Lee began to speak, trying to keep his voice even.

"Won't take up much of your time, Lieutenant. I just wanted to let you know that both of us have a meeting with the Admiral, the President, and Colonel Tigh tomorrow, 0900. I've cleared our schedules."

"Thank you for informing me, Captain." Her voice was strangled, as if she was having trouble breathing. His nimble fingers continued to climb up her side, but then Lee realized that he hadn't heard the banging of tools since he started touching her.

_Did I go too far?_

He started to withdraw his hand, but stopped when he felt her iron grip wrap around his wrist.

_Frakker, messing with me on the flight deck. If you wanna play, Lee, let's play._

Kara slid herself towards him until only her upper torso remained underneath the viper.

"Hand me that wrench behind you, Captain?" Lee blinked and awkwardly twisted around, since she was still holding onto his hand. He nearly fell over when he felt the first slide of her tongue along his palm. Swallowing hard, Lee bent all of his concentration towards finding the frakking wrench she needed.

_Godsdammit._

He lost his balance again when her wet mouth slid down his index finger, tongue swirling and bobbing like...

_Do. Not. Think. About. That._

Finally gaining the presence of mind to wrench his tingling hand from her grasp, he fought down a rising blush and turned to glare daggers at her. Kara looked back at him guilelessly, and if he didn't know better ( _much better_ ) he might have thought she was actually as innocent as she looked.

"That's _not funny_ ," he hissed at her.

"Sorry, Captain, I guess I had that wrench right here after all." Starbuck brandished the aforementioned tool at him, her voice heavy with suppressed laughter, and he envied her the cover of the Viper. Trying to regain his composure, Lee stood and loosened his collar.

"0900, Lieutenant. Be there." With that he strode away, praying that his physical reaction to her wasn't as obvious as he feared it was.

"Yes, sir!" Her mocking voice carried to him, causing him to shudder in reaction. Bowing his head in defeat, Galactica's CAG left the hangar deck.

Starbuck felt like her face would fall off, she was grinning so hard.

_Serves the frakker right._

A frisson of heat ran through her, starting from where his fingers had been inching up her side, but she shoved it away. She paused for a moment, reveling in how _happy_ she was - Kara knew she put up a nearly-impenetrable, devil-may-care front, but _this_... this was something else. Frakking with Lee had always been entertaining, but now...

_Now I feel like I've just destroyed a whole fleet of Raiders without scratching my bird's paint job. That rush... didn't think I could get it anywhere else, not anymore._

Her lips curved into a sensuous smile.

_It's good to be wrong._

The CAG showed up on the flight deck twice more during the shift, apparently needing his lead pilot's input on several _very important_ matters. The Chief always seemed to find himself within ear- and eye-shot of the encounters, and decided that by the end of the day they were about even. Starbuck had clearly won the first round, they were both equally flushed when Apollo strode off the second time, and the grin on the CAG's face seemed to indicate victory as he made his final exit. Tyrol couldn't believe that he was the only one to pick up on what was going on between them, but the rest of the deck crew seemed blissfully unaware.

Watching Starbuck lever herself out from underneath the last Viper and dust off her hands, he decided that he, as impartial observer, should have the final word. Lieutenant Thrace was looking around for him, obviously anxious to give her report and hit the showers.

_Or something like that._

Waving to get her attention, he started forward as she spoke. "Here's the workup for my birds, Chief. Got to everything but the lateral stabilizers on Hot Dog's, but it might do him some good to work them out himself - maybe then he'd stop frakking up his landings!"

Galen took the clipboard from her hand and briefly skimmed her notes, nodding approvingly when he saw how much she had been able to accomplish. "Thanks, Lieutenant. I could use a few more pilots with your mechanical skills!" They shared a grin and she started to turn away. "Oh, Lieutenant?" She stopped, looked at him inquiringly. "I noticed that the CAG was around a lot today. He seemed... flustered. Anything going on up top that my knuckledraggers need to know about?" The question was innocent enough but he delighted in the way her eyes widened, then narrowed in suspicion.

"Everything's fine, Chief. Just the CAG being the CAG." And, despite her best intentions, Kara couldn't stop the small smile from slipping onto her face. Mission accomplished, the Chief grinned at her, saluted, and left her staring after him, wondering just how much he had seen.

_Frak._

_***_

_A few hours later, in the rec room..._

"Full colors!" Starbuck threw her cards on the table, crowing triumphantly and standing to do her victory dance. Groans filled the air as she raked in her winnings, the other players ruefully shaking their heads at the folly of playing against Starbuck on a winning streak. From across the table, Helo grinned at his friend around the ever-present sucker - he had bowed out of the hand early, recognizing the killer gleam in her eyes and knowing full-well what it meant.

_Kara's all over it tonight - really on a roll._

His grin widened - he knew _exactly_ what had her flying so high.

_They finally figured something out. About time frakking time. Ahh... and here comes the man in question himself._

Helo watched as Captain Adama stood in the hatch taking in the scene before him. Lee grinned at Kara's triumphant shimmy but didn't alert her to his presence. The table settled and another hand was dealt. Just before the last card was passed out, Karl watched Apollo make his move. Treading silently across the deck to stand directly behind Starbuck, Lee lifted his eyebrow at the pile of loot in front of her.

"Looks like you could use a little competition, Lieutenant."

Kara turned her head and grinned up at Lee - she had known he was there since the minute he entered the room.

"Think you got what it takes, Captain?"

Grabbing a chair and situating himself next to Kara, Lee smirked back at her.

"You know I do. Deal me in."

The pilots around the table hollered and clapped, supportive of _anyone_ who could offer Starbuck a challenge.

"Little known fact, folks - our _illustrious_ CAG had a reputation as _quite_ a card shark at the Academy. Until I came along, that is. Not sure if he still has it, though." Tipping a wink at Lee, Kara dealt him in and took a small sip of the drink next to her. Lee noted that it was still mostly full and there was no bottle in sight. Casting an inquiring glance at Helo, and then back at her drink, Lee was met with Helo's small smile and quirked eyebrow.

_Our girl is flying on adrenaline tonight, and nothing else._

Kara caught the non-verbal communication between the two men, but decided to let it pass for now. She was pleasantly surprised that she actually didn't feel the need to pound back the alcohol tonight, but hadn't made a big deal of it in case the other pilots picked up on her change of attitude. Kara knew that Helo had noticed, of course, but that didn't surprise her in the least.

It was annoying and comforting at the same time how well he could read her. They had been friends forever, but to this day it still slightly unnerved her. Turning her attention back to the game at hand, Kara studied her cards. Knowing she had to keep on her toes with both Lee _and_ Helo in the game, Kara struggled to hide her glee at the hand she had been dealt. Thinking furiously, she bit her lip as if nervous and sipped at her drink.

The call for cards went around the table. Kat took two, Hot Dog three, and Karl and Lee took one apiece. Kara also passed in a single card, and called the hand.

"All right, boys and girls, let's see what you've got. I'm in for... a paperback, and two pairs of socks."

Kat, obviously caught with nothing, threw her cards down in disgust. "I'm out."

"See what happens when you play with the big dogs, nugget?" Kara needled the younger pilot, but without the usual venom found in their exchanges. Lee was glad that the camaraderie he had seen earlier on the hangar deck was still in evidence - Kat had the potential to be a truly excellent pilot if brought along correctly.

"Helo?" His name was a drawl leaving her mouth, and the big man winked at her and pushed a pack of cigars towards the middle of the table, Kara's eyes following covetously the whole way.

"I see your bet, Starbuck."

Lee studied his hand, and the body language of the two pilots. Barely noticing when Hot Dog also bowed out, Apollo decided to go for it.

"In. One set of tanks and..." he paused dramatically, a twinkle in his eye. "One chocolate bar." A sigh went around the table, and even Kara looked surprised.

"You really _have_ been holding out on me, Captain," she murmured, thinking of the little room in the bowels of the Battlestar that had been so full of surprises. He smiled at her, and enjoyed the way her lips curled up in a secret smile of her own. "All right, let's see what you've got."

Helo lay down a trio, and leaned back in his chair.

"Hmm, not quite enough, Raptor-boy. _Captain_ Adama, sir?"

Smirking, Lee slowly placed his cards on the table. "Four on a run."

Kara's mouth dropped open in surprise and she tossed her cards to the table haphazardly, knowing her _three_ on a run wasn't enough. Laughing in defeat and mock outrage, she pushed the pile of clothing, cigarettes, and chocolate ( _gods,_ chocolate _!_ ) towards a grinning Lee.

"Frakking bastard. Forgot how godsdamned close to the chest you play it." The onlookers all cheered their CAG for taking her down, but she took it with good grace ( _for her_ ), and only _pretended_ to throw a punch at him. During the commotion, no one but Helo caught the way Lee leaned into Kara's personal space to whisper something in her ear. He couldn't hear the words that were exchanged, but had to hold back a chuckle at the way Kara's eyebrows flew up as she glanced back at the chocolate bar, and how Lee leaned back in his chair, looking quite pleased with himself.

_Gods. I never want to find out what happens to that particular piece of candy! It probably would have been illegal on eight colonies._

Sucking contentedly on his own sweet of choice, Helo maintained his role as a (somewhat) impartial observer and was pleased with the easy companionship between Kara and Lee. They had settled into a deadly rhythm, one of them always ending up with a winning hand and decimating all who stood in their way. While there were catcalls and good-natured accusations of foul play, the lightheartedness between the two lead pilots had spread to everyone in the room and none of the comments descended to pettiness.

Having opted out a few hands ago, Helo caught Kara's eye as he rose quietly. He smiled at her, but his eyes were serious.

_You got this?_

She nodded back gratefully and mouthed "thank you" at him. Knowing how rare it was for those words to pass her lips, Helo grinned and gave her a jaunty salute before sauntering out of the room. Lee watched this exchange quietly, and was glad that Kara had Helo to lean on.

_Gods know, I haven't always been there for her._

As if catching his dour thought, Starbuck turned back to him, smirk firmly in place.

"Well, Apollo, I'd say we've done all the damage we can do here. Call it a night?" Her eyes were playful, but cautious as well. Lee grinned around the table and nodded in agreement.

"Wouldn't be seemly for senior officers to continue to destroy the morale of the troops, Lieutenant. Let's bring it in." With that (and the groans of relief that echoed around them), Starbuck and Apollo gathered up their considerable winnings and practically pranced out of the room.

It wasn't until they were well down the corridor that they finally looked at each other and dissolved into helpless laughter.

"Dear... _gods_. That was fun."

"Maybe we should have mentioned all the cards we've played together? Almost seems unfair..." Apollo was practically on the ground, holding onto his sides and trying to contain himself. He knew that no one ( _except maybe Helo_ ) knew of their regular rounds of all of the pool halls near the Academy, card-sharking and scamming their way into beer money for the week.

"Are you _kidding_? We're going to be frakking _rich_! _Look_ at all of this. Gods, why haven't we been working this scheme all along?" Kara's eyes were gleeful as she pawed through socks, candy, and _cigars_.

Regaining some control, Lee turned to look at her. "Well...probably because we wouldn't have made it through three hands without ripping into each other before... now." His voice trailed off, and Kara's suddenly-serious gaze met his.

"Yeah. That's probably true." They had both stopped laughing now and were standing awkwardly in the corridor, not sure what to do next.

"So... what now?" Lee's question was hesitant, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Surprisingly, Lee's nervousness actually released some of the tension Kara felt.

_Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't have a frakking clue how this is supposed to work._

"Now, we take all of this back to the bunkroom."

"Right."

Relieved that the awkwardness seemed to have lessened for the moment, the two pilots strode down the corridor, occasionally rehashing a particularly good hand or exclaiming over an especially priceless piece of treasure. As Lee held open the hatch of the bunkroom for her, Kara smiled a little.

_This is actually nice._

They moved quietly to their separate lockers and began piling in their new possessions. Without glancing behind her, Kara heard the swish of cloth and knew that Lee was _getting naked_ right behind her.

_Keep it together, Thrace. You've been through this a thousand times._

Swallowing hard, Kara followed suit, stripping down and stepping into her usual sleepwear of sports bra and running shorts. She was still fiddling ( _just giving myself some time_ ) when she felt Lee tap her on the shoulder. Turning slowly, she saw that he had the chocolate bar in his palm, held out like an offering. When she reached towards it, however, he closed his hand around her fingers and stepped closer.

"We were very good together tonight, Kara."

She wasn't sure what game he was playing but she nodded in agreement. Pressing nearer, Lee felt her clothed chest brush up against his bare skin and nearly lost all control.

"Lee?" The vulnerability in her voice made him pause, lifting his head from where it had been angling towards her mouth. Looking down at Kara, Lee saw that she was stiff, glancing around a little wildly.

"Gods, I'm sorry. Not here, I know. You just..." He rested his forehead against hers and took a deep breath. She relaxed against the lockers, allowing his arms to slip around her.

"I know, Lee. I do." Then, regaining her composure, she smirked up at him. "We kicked ass tonight, Apollo. Let's not frak it up now." He laughed and stepped away from her, but not before pressing the chocolate bar back into her hand. With a small laugh, Kara turned and stuck the candy in her locker.

"For later."

She moved towards her bunk and twitched back the curtain. Lee mirrored her movements, and they ended up staring at each other from opposite sides of the room.

"Good night, Captain." Her voice was low and gravelly and did nothing to calm him, but Lee smiled back at her.

"Night, Lieutenant." And then, more quietly, "Sweet dreams."

Kara smiled softly, and closed her eyes.

_This was a good day._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Three days ago the corridors echoed with Apollo's taunts and teasing while an uncharacteristically-quiet Starbuck simply kept pace and smirked._

Lee couldn't remember the last time he felt this rested - he had actually woken up early enough to lay in his bunk for a few minutes, just enjoying the silence. Glancing over at Kara's bunk, he grinned to see her usual sprawl - blonde hair and long limbs everywhere. The sight was motivation enough for Lee to swing his feet to the floor and stand, glancing around automatically before moving towards her bunk.

_I wonder..._

Feeling bold in the silence of what passed for dawn on the Battlestar, Lee smoothed tangles from Kara's face and leaned in closer, bending over her sleeping form.

"Kara." His voice was barely a whisper, but she heard it. Beginning to stir, Kara was startled by the gentle finger laid across her lips. Eyes flying open in confusion, she met his amused blue gaze and couldn't help but smile.

_Cocky, Lee. No one else would believe it of you._

Sneaking her own glance around the still-sleeping bunkroom, mischief wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Knowing the signs, Lee started to jerk away but she was faster, yanking him into the bunk to tumble on top of her, then reaching out quickly to twitch the curtains shut.

Grinning at the panicked look on Lee's face, Kara twined her fingers in his short hair and pulled his head down to hers, unwilling to take no for an answer. Her tongue worked past his lips and she reveled at his quick inhale. Tightening her grip, Lieutenant Kara Thrace proceeded to kiss the hell out of her CAG and enjoy every second of it.

_What was that he said?_

Lee could feel her grinning against his gasping mouth, and then that mouth (which was _killing him_ ) was up at his ear, whispering words he only half-understood.

"Straight on..."

Her tongue licked up the shell of his ear.

"Full-tilt..."

Sharp teeth nipped at his earlobe.

"Starbuck insanity."

_Oh, gods._

Pulling back to survey her handiwork, Kara smirked triumphantly at his dazed features. Then, still whispering...

"Morning, Captain."

"Pinch me." Lee's strangled tone had Kara swallowing back laughter. "No, really, pinch me. I can't possibly be awake."

"Oh? Dream about this often, do you?" Even though she was still underneath him, Kara felt more than comfortable teasing Lee ( _she loved when he blushed_ ), but she also knew that it wouldn't take him much longer to regain his composure. Intent on getting out of this little encounter with the upper hand, Kara began squirming out from under Lee's sprawled body, but froze when she felt his fingers settle lightly over her sides.

"Lee." Her words were a hiss, eyes slit in warning.

His tone was thoughtful, almost careless. "You know, technically, if this _were_ a dream, I could do _this_ ," and pressed his fingers into her ribs, "without having to worry about my hotshot problem pilot waking the _entire bunkroom_ because she's, well... _sensitive_."

He grinned at the last word, knowing it would piss her off. Sure enough, Starbuck shot him a lethal glare but didn't twitch so much as a muscle. Experimentally, Lee wriggled his fingers minutely and was immensely gratified to see her eyes widen even more, and he felt her suck in a breath.

"Kara. Are you actually holding your breath?"

Shaking her head vehemently, although she was doing _exactly_ that, Kara locked her hands around his wrists, attempting to pull them away from her susceptible skin.

_Sensitive my ass. Going to kill the frakker._

_Ahh, there's the glare again. She's going to kill me._

Lowering his head to hers but keeping his hands firmly in place, Lee whispered words that even three days before he never would have even let himself _think_ , much less say out loud.

"I know I could have you yelling loudly enough to wake the entire bunkroom from just this," and he moved his fingers again, delighting in the strangled squeak it elicited, "but what I really want, Kara," and now her name was a caress, "is to make you scream."

On the final word Lee rolled his hips into hers, making it clear that his body was very happy to be where it was. The sensation sent Kara's eyes rolling back in her head and he felt her grip on his wrists slacken.

She had only a moment to catch the look in his eyes ( _distracting me, the bastard_ ), but it was long enough to slam her mouth shut on the shriek of laughter that threatened to erupt as he dug his fingers into her ribs in earnest. However necessary they were in the air, pilot's reflexes were not an asset in tight spaces as Kara instinctively pushed away from his questing fingers and cracked her head sharply against the wall.

_Thunk._

The loud noise had them both freezing, listening intently for signs that they had been discovered. Three heartbeats, then five, and they both started to relax, Lee once again collapsing on top of a furious Kara. Allowing himself to ride out the moment, Lee leaned forward to whisper in Kara's ear.

"You're the best secret I've ever had."

The words surprised both of them, but after a moment Kara smiled slowly and leaned up to kiss him softly.

"You two," says a quiet voice, "aren't going to make it three days without the entire Fleet finding out what's going on. And that includes the Admiral." Trying to scramble apart, Lee and Kara turned to see Helo's smirking, upside down face peering in at them from the top bunk. Satisfied at saying his piece, Karl pulled the curtain closed and lay back on his bunk. Shaking his head in amusement, Helo settled back into sleep, ignoring the whispered conversation below him.

"This. Is. Your. Fault." Kara's voice was practically inaudible, but Lee certainly felt her finger thumping into his chest on every word. Catching her hand in his, Lee smiled apologetically (or, as apologetically as he could manage when he still wanted to grin like a schoolboy) and kissed her fingers. Kara's face softened, but she still struggled to maintain her righteous indignation.

"Off, Apollo. Get off me."

Still smiling, Lee levered himself away, rolling to prop himself against the wall. "You were the one who pulled me in here, Kara."

She glared, mumbled something that Lee figured was probably anatomically impossible, and shoved her way out of the bunk. He heard her rummaging around in her locker, then crossing the room and rummaging around in _his_ locker. A few seconds later, his running attire flew into the bunk and Lee figured that their little morning interlude was over.

_That was fun._

The two pilots managed to dress and exit the bunkroom without any further incident, but it was obvious to Kara that Lee felt he had the upper hand in their... situation. Every few minutes he would dart out an agile finger, obviously trying to graze her ribs - never mind that the corridors were starting to fill up. 

Luckily, Kara was a good enough triad player to know a tell when she saw one - a second or two before each little foray into her personal space, Lee would cock his head towards her, gauging her position without looking at her directly. This time, without missing a beat, Starbuck sped up a step, causing Apollo to stumble slightly before regaining his footage.

_Gotcha that time, Apollo._

Contrary to her usual persona, Kara didn't feel the need to fill up this morning's run with a running stream of (somewhat) teasing abuse.

_I like seeing him like this, all playful and, well, un-CAG like. I'll just say something to screw it up. Besides, my keeping quiet will confuse the frak out of him._

Now that he was a pace behind her, Lee had no problem staying there. And if his eyes frequently wandered towards certain parts of her anatomy, well, he was just a man, right? Who the frak could blame him?

"In a hurry, Lieutenant?" Lee couldn't help but bait her - it was one of the few true pleasures left to him. Without slowing down, Starbuck simply tossed a teasing glance over her shoulder and continued onwards. Grinning, Lee quickened his pace so that he drew up next to her once again.

"Seriously, Starbuck. I'd almost think you were... running from something. Someone? Come on, am I getting warm?"

Her face remained inscrutable, which Lee felt was entirely unacceptable. This was Starbuck, after all - the most famous temper in the Fleet, and he was the resident expert in provoking her.

"Ah, I know what it must be. You just can't wait to get to that very _sensitive_ meeting with the Old Man and the President." Apollo felt a surge of glee when her head swung towards him, but was disappointed when, once again, she simply shot him that famous Starbuck smirk and turned her eyes back to the hallway before them.

Intrigued but not defeated, Lee continued to try to get a rise out of her for the rest of their run, but had to admit that she seems to have won this round of... what was it they were playing at, exactly?

_Top dog, I suppose. Who can drive who around the frakking bend first. Whatever it is, I haven't had this much fun since the godsdamned worlds ended. Hell, I haven't had this much fun since..._

When Lee realizes where that thought it leading, he stopped dead in his tracks.

_Since that summer. Since the card-sharking, and the pyramid games... gods._

Lee knew very well that Kara kept the picture of the three of them in her locker, and that there was a permanent crease between where she and Zak were standing together and where Lee had been caught in the background. He had never allowed himself to contemplate which way she had stuck it in there - whether it was him she was hiding, or herself.

"Lee?"

Her worried voice pulled him back to the present, and Lee looked up to meet Kara's worried gaze.

"Uh. Sorry. Cramp." He doesn't know where the words came from or why he felt the need to prevaricate, but it was too late now.

Kara stared at him, like she knew he was lying ( _of course she does_ ), and her eyes were hurt even though no one else would be able to see that but him. Sighing, Lee shook his head and tried to smile at her.

"I'm good now. Want to finish up?" Silently, Kara turned and continued down the corridor, and Lee counted himself lucky that they were only a few turns away from the bunkroom.

_Frak. What the hell was that, Adama? Idiot. You're going to drive her away without even meaning to - you know how easy it is to hurt her._

Pulling up behind her at the hatch to the bunkroom, Lee hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder, but immediately pulled back when her entire body stiffens.

"Kara, I..."

"Whatever, Apollo. We've got a meeting to go to."

And with that, Lee knew that he was officially the first one to make a mistake - and gods know, with her (with _them_ ), it might only _take_ a single misstep to bring it all crashing down.

_Godsdammit. Already frakked it up._

Angrily, Starbuck grabbed her shower kit and headed out of the bunk room, making an effort to ignore the kicked-puppy look on Lee's face as she swept past.

_Doesn't he know that he can't lie to me? That the one thing we agreed on was to be honest with each other? I've been more godsdamned honest in the last few days than I have in my entire_ life _, and he can't do the same? Fine, who the hell cares. It was only a matter of time, anyway. Should have known better than to get your frakking hopes up, Thrace._

Standing under the pelting spray of the shower, Lieutenant Kara Thrace tried to convince herself that it was simply soap causing her eyes to sting and burn.

***

_45 minutes later, in a Galactica conference room..._

William Adama wished he was surprised that there was already tension between his son and Starbuck, but he wasn't - not at all. Masking a sigh at the stiff postures of his two best pilots, the Admiral continued to outline the changes he and the President had made to the existing fraternization policy.

"So, Captain, Lieutenant, you can see that the frat regs do still exist, but we have modified them to suit our new situation - they were never meant to function in this kind of environment. It is going to be your job, Apollo, to introduce the new information to your pilots, and you will both need to monitor the situation - I do _not_ want this getting out of hand, and they all need to know that there _are_ still some checks in place regarding relationships between the ranks. Also, all female pilots will be required to see Doctor Cottle for birth control injections - I need all of you in the air."

"We tried to make this as fair as possible, given our difficult circumstances," President Roslin explained. "The entire Fleet knows that we would not survive without the military, so I - _we_ \- felt it necessary to make your off-duty time a bit less... well, stressful, I suppose." Laura looked to Bill for confirmation and was gratified when he nodded in agreement.

Because Starbuck was studiously _not_ looking at Lee, she had plenty of time to watch the interaction between the President and the Old Man.

_Huh. Might not be_ just _the pilots who will be "making use" of the new regs._

The observation was almost enough to make her smile, before she remembered that she should be overjoyed for her own sake as well - in essence, the Old Man had peeled away the veil of secrecy she and Lee had thought they would have to maintain. Now, though, she wasn't sure there would be anything to reveal, even though they had tacit permission to do so. Realizing that the Old Man was still speaking, Kara shifted her attention back to the meeting at hand.

"You should bring any questions to Colonel Tigh - as XO, final decisions regarding the appropriateness of any pairings fall to him. However, I am hoping that there won't be many cases that go that far - unless there is trouble with giving or following orders, I trust the two of you to settle any problems that arise."

Stealing a glance at Tigh, Starbuck caught him grinning openly at her, his all-to-knowing gaze darting between Lee and herself.

_Godsdamned drunk. Can't think of anyone worse to hand out relationship advice... Except for maybe myself._

Clenching her fists, Kara breathed deeply and tried to control herself. She knew that Tigh would take any chance he could to get under her skin, and would just love the opportunity to throw her in hack - especially here, in front of the Admiral, the President, and Lee.

"Starbuck." Her callsign was a bark and Kara jerked in response, turning towards the Admiral. Looking annoyed ( _she knows the Old Man doesn't have any patience for the constant feud between her and Tigh_ ), Adama raised an eyebrow. "I said, do you have any concerns, Lieutenant?"

"No, sir. Not at this time." Sitting up straighter, Kara tried to put sincerity behind her words. She really _didn't_ have any questions - she thought the new regs were fair and would be well-received. The Admiral pinned her with his gaze for a few seconds more before shaking his head and turning back to Lee.

"All right, Captain. This is effective immediately, so I would advise you to be the one to inform your pilots of the changes, rather than letting them hear it through the grapevine."

"Yes, sir."

"All right, then. Dismissed."

Kara and Lee rose together and snapped an identical salute before walking out of the room. As soon as they disappeared from sight, Saul Tigh let out a snicker.

"Well, Bill, you've sure got a hell of a mess on your hands." Unperturbed by the glare his old friend sent his way, Tigh rose and sauntered out of the room, still chuckling under his breath. Dropping his head into his hands, William Adama tried to think past the raging headache that had sprung up as soon as Starbuck and Apollo had walked in.

"Dare I ask?" Laura's voice startled him - he had forgotten she was still there. Snorting in amusement, Bill turned his head to look at her.

"If you have to ask, you haven't been paying attention." His voice was gruff but somewhat amused. Laura laughed lightly and shook her head.

"I'm not that blind, Admiral. I meant, what in the name of the gods you are going to do about the two of them? And do they think they actually think they are fooling anyone? Don't forget, I saw their reunion when Lieutenant Thrace returned from Caprica." Admiral Adama raised his eyebrow in question and Laura smiled. "It was quite touching really, although I think Captain Apollo showed his hand earlier than he might have wished. The Lieutenant played it a bit closer to the vest."

"Yes, well, Lee gets that from his mother. Carol Anne always was more... demonstrative. And to answer your second question, Madame President, in my opinion they have no idea how completely transparent they are, at least to those who know them well."

"And what are you going to do? They must know that this impacts you greatly."

Shaking his head slowly, Bill lifted his head to meet her gaze. "They have to figure it out themselves, first. Everything else, well, that comes later. If they can get past the history between them, I won't stand in their way."

Even though his words were sincere, Laura heard the pain and confusion behind them. She knew the bare bones of the tragic story, had heard rumors of Lieutenant Thrace's relationship with the Admiral's youngest son, but couldn't begin to imagine how hard it would be for a father to understand and accept a situation like this. Laying her hand on top of his, Laura rose to her feet. "I am quite sure, Admiral, that neither of them would ever hurt you deliberately. If and when the Lieutenant and Captain Apollo come to terms, I have no doubt that you will be the first to know - and they will both want your blessing."

Rising as well, the Admiral seemed to shake off his dour mood. "Thank you, Laura. I will try to keep that in mind." Realizing her hand was still in his, Bill raised it to his lips in a gesture that brought color to her cheeks. Feeling lighter, he grinned and released her hand. "I can't remember ever being that young, but I suppose I was, once. Not sure I would want to be again - too much godsdamned work."

Laura laughed, trying to steady the butterflies in her stomach, and preceded him to the hatch. Before exiting, she looked over his shoulder at him. "Oh, I don't know, Bill. That's the thing about the worlds ending - what have you got to lose?" With those intriguing words, the President of the colonies left Admiral Adama standing in the hatch, a slow smile spreading across his weathered face.

***

_Five minutes earlier..._

"Kara! Dammit, Starbuck, slow down!" And, when nothing was left to him, "Lieutenant!"

_Well, that certainly got her attention._

"Yes, _Captain_?" If words could kill, Lee knew he would be dead at her feet. Realizing that he had made a mistake in calling her by rank, Apollo tried to change his tone.

"Kara, I'm sorry, would you just let me explain about this morning?" When she didn't speak, he continued. "I wasn't trying to get around you, Kara. I just..." he trailed off, unsure of how to describe the feeling those memories had evoked.

"Frakking stellar explanation, Apollo. Anything else you wanted?" Kara knew she was probably being unreasonable, but frak it all, he just made her so mad!

Knowing that she was in no mood to discuss their personal issues, he sighed and put on his CAG face. "We need to discuss how to best relay this information, Starbuck." Lee tried for neutral, but had the feeling he was failing miserably.

"What's to discuss, _sir_? Tell the nuggets they can frak whoever they want, as long as it doesn't get in the way of orders. Get the girls to sick bay for injections. Seems pretty straightforward to me." Her careless tone belied the fury in her eyes and Lee gave a defeated sigh.

"All right, Captain, I'll take your... suggestion... under consideration. Dismissed." He watched her go, Starbuck swagger fully in place, and hoped it wasn't already the beginning of the end.

***

_Many hours later..._

By the time pilots began gathering in the ready room for the 2100 briefing (which had been scheduled for 1100), the events of the day had taken their toll. Twenty minutes after they parted ways in the corridors, action stations were called. As usual, Starbuck and Apollo led the fray, but they both knew they were lucky to have gotten the jump on a larger-than-expected squadron of raiders. Realizing that they were severely outnumbered, even with the element of surprise, Starbuck had left Kat to fend for herself while taking on three raiders herself.

Lee shuddered, remembering how close it had been, but, as always, he had managed to reach her in time to deflect the shot that would have rendered her Viper into scrap metal. As it was, Kat's bird caught some damage (although the nugget had done well for herself), and Apollo's needed an entire new wing - he wasn't even sure how he landed the thing.

Kara hadn't even been out of her cockpit before he'd laid into her, and the situation had degenerated into a screaming match he was sure could be heard across the Fleet. They had managed to avoid coming to blows, but it had been a near thing. In the end it had been Chief Tyrol who had risked his life to step between them, shoving the two pilots towards opposite ends of the hangar bay. Lee had seen Kara shrug off Helo's comforting hand and storm off towards the bunkroom, and he himself had headed to what he already thought of as "their" closet.

Now that he was standing at the podium seeing the wary glances cast between himself and his lead pilot, he was embarrassed by his conduct. Their argument was circular, when it came right down to it. She was the only one who could pull the stunts she did, and there was no doubt that those stunts had saved the entire Fleet on multiple occasions. However, as CAG, he could not condone the way she had left Kat to fend for herself - the first rule of flying was to never leave your wingman, and it was the rule Starbuck was most fond of breaking.

"All right, settle down." Lee's voice was tired, and he was grateful when the room quieted quickly. "First of all, good job out there today. We had some damage, but we didn't lose anyone." He forced himself not to look at her, sprawled carelessly in the front row.

"Now, as I'm sure you've all heard, there are changes to the fraternization regulations that are going into effect immediately." No one looked surprised, but they did look interested. "The Admiral and the President have decided that the regs were never meant to handle the kind of situation we find ourselves in. From now on, the only relationships that will be called into question are those that create disciplinary problems. The XO is in charge of mediating or dissolving any couples who can't give or take orders from one another - and that right there should be incentive enough to make it work or give it up." A chuckle went around the room, and Lee smiled a little.

"All female pilots are required to report to Doc Cottle for updated contraception injections - the Admiral is not interested in pregnancies right now. Those are the basics. If you have questions, please see myself or Lieutenant Thrace." Lee was proud that he didn't stumble over her name, and ended on a warning note. "Listen, people. I think that these changes are practical and will be in everyone's best interest, but remember that you are still a part of the Colonial Armed Forces - respect the uniform and what it stands for and I don't think we'll have any trouble. Dismissed."

The volume in the room rose as eternally-randy pilots teased and poked at each other, and Lee winced at some of the bawdier suggestions that were being tossed around. He didn't miss the speculative glances passing between some of the veteran pilots, and their eyes bounced between himself and Starbuck far more often than Lee was comfortable with.

_Hell, did everyone know but us?_

Catching Lee's rueful expression, Helo grinned and nodded.

_He's a godsdamned mind-reader, that one. Always seems to know what's going on before anyone else._

Suddenly exhausted and not up for another round with Starbuck, Lee gathered up his papers and headed for the door. He told himself that he was walking slowly to avoid tripping over energetic pilots, rather than hoping she would call him back, but he never looked her way.

_Frakking bastard._

Kara kept up the Starbuck facade, even in her own mind, to keep herself from going crazy. Pulling herself out of the chair, she didn't bother glancing towards the hatch where Lee exited ( _it's not like he looked back for me_ ), and instead prowled the room until she found Helo.

"Gym. Now."

Her words were short and clipped and Helo knew he might be taking his own life into his hands by accompanying her, but she was already dragging him from the room.

_Looks like there's already trouble in paradise._

The knowing look in Karl's eyes made Kara's fists clench. Helo kept pace easily, pulling his arm from her death grip and sticking his hands in his pockets but wisely keeping silent.

_Let her throw a few punches at me, then she'll spill. Knowing the two of them, whatever happened will have been blown completely out of proportion by now. For two smart people... Well. I guess we'll see._

When Starbuck entered the gym and moved purposefully towards the sparring mat, the two Marines using it cleared out - few on the Battlestar were willing to mess with the pilot when she looked like _this_ , and those who did became cautionary tales. She pulled two pairs of gloves from the bin and tossed the larger set at Helo.

Grinning but still silent, Karl slid the gloves on and bounced on his toes a few times, then stepped onto the mat. As he had known she would, Kara barreled towards him with fists flying. Holding a defensive position, Karl blocked most of the blows but a few made it past his guard. He knew that he could hold his own in a fight, even against Kara, but the amount of sheer power in her smaller body always surprised him.

Finally, she landed a blow to the side of his head that knocked him back a few steps and Helo began to fight back. They circled each other, and the Raptor pilot decided it was time to get down to business.

_Step one in diffusing Kara Thrace: make her even angrier._

Repeating his earlier thoughts, Karl smirked at her. "Trouble in paradise already, Starbuck?"

Her eyes narrowed and she growled at him, aiming a blow to his ribs that he skipped away from. They were both moving smoothly now, trading blows and falling into a rhythm that felt natural.

"Come on, Kara, already done with the _adorable_ morning cuddles?"

Helo was pretty sure that she wouldn't kill him, but you'd never know it by the way she attacked him.

" _Frak you_ , Helo."

Grinning back at her, the taller man saw an opening and darted in, catching her leg and yanking her to the floor. She didn't give him the chance to press his advantage, though, twisting away and back to her feet.

"What's the matter, Buck? Feeling a little sensitive today, are we?"

Kara's vision clouded red and she launched herself at him, taking them both down to the mat.

"I hate. That frakking. Word!" Starbuck's words were interspersed with heavy hits to Karl's chest and face, but she was so lost in fury that it took her completely by surprise when he launched her off of him and into the air. The ground came up fast and knocked the air out of her lungs, and Kara Thrace lay where she fell, face down on the mat.

"Buck?" Helo's voice was concerned, but she could tell he was maintaining distance between them on the off chance she came up swinging.

"Frak you." Her tone let him know that Starbuck was still in there but that the fight had gone out of her. Groaning, Kara rolled over to stare at the ceiling and Helo hunkered down next to her with an inquiring look.

"What the hell did I say?"

She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Just something Lee said."

"Come on, now. I deserve more than that after you about beat me to death." Poking gingerly at his already-swelling eye, Helo stretched out next to her.

_Step two: let her do the talking._

Silence stretched between them, breaths beginning to come more evenly. Finally unable to stand it, Kara closed her eyes and sighed, knowing he would just wait her out.

"Frakker. This morning, before you... well, Apollo was teasing me about being 'sensitive'. You said the same thing." She brought her hands together then and exploded them outward, mouthing _boom_.

"Ah." Knowing there was more to the story, Karl kept his peace. He knew exactly how far he could push her before she clammed up on him, and they weren't there yet.

The words were quiet, when they finally came. "He lied to me."

"What about?"

"I don't know. We were running, and he stopped, and I asked him why, and he just... made something up, I don't know, but there was something else going on. Frakking stupid, I know, but it made me so godsdamned angry, and then we had to sit through a meeting with the Admiral and the President, and Tigh was there."

Karl made an understanding sound, knowing full well how the XO's mission in life was to provoke Kara enough to have her thrown into hack.

"It's just..." and here she sighed and got even quieter. "The last couple of days. I didn't know it could be like that with us, so godsdamned easy. We actually _talked_ , Karl. About real things, about the past... about Zak." Karl reached blindly for her hand, knowing she needed the comfort but would never ask for it. "We haven't even..." she let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Well, let's just say that no one would believe how much we _haven't_ done yet. This morning, after it happened, he tried to apologize but I shut him down. Gods, I don't even know how this got so frakked up."

_Step three: make her smile._

"Well," Helo said slowly, "I'm actually surprised that it took so long for the two of you to hit critical."

"Gee, thanks." Starbuck's tone was cutting.

"Come on Buck, you know what I mean. In a normal day, the two of you have ten spats like this between breakfast and lunch, and you're fine by dinner. Maybe you need to look at it like that, instead. It might actually be some kind of record - Starbuck and Apollo _don't_ fight for more than 48 hours." He had a small smile on his face and he caught her lips twitching although she still wouldn't look at him. "Honestly, I have to give the man props - not many would be brave enough to take you on, Thrace." Before she could get indignant (even though they both knew it was true), Karl put a hand on her shoulder and said more seriously, "Kara, think about it. The thing between the two of you can't be denied, however much you both might like to, so you are just going to have to accept some bumps along the way. Hell, you do your best flying under pressure."

_Ahh, there it is._

Kara's mouth turned up in a smug grin and she nodded. "Damn right, I do. Raptor-boy." She nudged him none-to-gently in the ribs but he took it good-naturedly.

"Uh-huh. Get up, Thrace. Time to hit the rack." He began to lever himself up, pulling her with him.

"Frak, Helo, I think you broke my ribs when you tossed me."

"I see your broken ribs and raise you a shiner and a limp. What a pair. Hope the Cylons don't show up just now."

Leaning on each other, the two pilots exited the gym and made their way to the bunkroom. Kara admitted to herself that she was feeling better, but her stomach dropped when they entered the darkened hatch and she saw that Lee's bunk was empty. Catching the direction of her stare, Helo shook his head.

"Don't over think it, Kara. Go to bed." Nodding mechanically, she stripped out of her clothes and crawled into her bunk, willing her body to fall asleep quickly.

What seems like days later, she was still staring at the bottom of Helo's rack and Lee still wasn't back.

_Maybe..._

Pushing back the thin blanket, Kara shoved to her feet, threw on some clothes, and padded out into the corridor. Pulling the hatch shut behind her, she made her way through quiet halls.

_He's probably not there, idiot._

Without realizing it, Kara held her breath as she pushed open the hatch to "their" storage room. Scanning slowly, her shoulders slumped when it became apparent that Lee was not there. Leaning against the wall, she simply couldn't muster the strength to return to the bunkroom. Instead, Kara pulled the hatch shut and spread out the blanket Lee has stashed in the corner. Curling up, she tried to ignore how lonely she felt before exhaustion finally took over and she slept.

***

_In the ready room, an hour later..._

Lee started awake, trying to orient himself.

_What the... Oh. Gods, must have fallen asleep._

Pulling himself up, he realized that it must be incredibly late. On the screen in front of him, Vipers dodged and banked, explosions filling the room with harsh white light. Without even trying, he picked her bird out of the fray, watching the destruction of one, two, three raiders in quick succession.

He had been too tired to face the noise of the pilot's rec room after the briefing, so he had given the pilots enough time to clear out before returning and popping in the footage of the skirmish. Over and over he watched, but it never changed - Starbuck always left her wingman, and he always saved her.

Running a hand through his matted hair, Lee stood. Unsteady on his feet, he headed towards the meager comfort of his bunk and the prospect of listening to Kara breathe as she slept. He wasn't mad anymore, not really, and he hoped she felt the same.

Making as little noise as possible, Apollo stepped into the bunkroom. Before reaching his locker, Lee stopped in his tracks and swung his head towards her bunk.

_Empty._

Mechanically, Lee changed and went back to his rack, unable to take his eyes off of the open curtain and empty bed. Forcing himself to lay down, he was under no illusion that he would get any sleep during what remained of the night cycle.

  
_Where the hell_ is _she?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Two days ago, the CAG was alone for his morning circuits, face set like granite. Karl Agathon was also sporting a black eye and a limp, and had been seen sparring with a vengeful Lieutenant Thrace the evening before._

She was still gone when he woke up. With a growl, Lee rolled out of his bunk and grabbed up his running gear before striding angrily into the head. Barely able to manage bare civilities, he nodded to several early risers but his demeanor didn't encourage conversation.

The pounding of his feet on the deck was somewhat soothing, but didn't stop the cyclical train of thoughts running on repeat through Lee's mind.

_You're an idiot._

_She's a bitch._

_Should have known better._

_Where is she?_

It was that last one that was killing him. Lee hadn't realized how accustomed he had become to falling asleep to her breathing until it wasn't there. He couldn't bring himself to believe that Kara had slept with someone else last night, but one never knew with Starbuck.

_What about Colonial Day? Didn't seem to bother her then._

Lee tried to reason with himself that they had no claim on each other at that point, but he knew better.

_I was the one who left her that time_ , he thought bitterly. _Then I ran her all the way back to Caprica._

_Caprica... oh, Gods. What if..._

What if she had gone back for her pyramid player, back for Sam Anders? As far as Apollo knew no rescue mission had been approved, but that hadn't mattered before. Breath short, Lee turned his feet towards CIC, where he hoped someone could give him the information he so desperately needed to hear.

"Lee?"

Head down and lost in his own miserable thoughts, Lee hadn't seen his father standing in the corridor outside of CIC.

"Dad. Gods, tell me that you didn't authorize Kara to go back to Caprica." The desperate tone in his son's voice caught the Admiral by surprise, and he knew better than anyone that Lee very rarely spoke without meaning to. This time, however, he had.

"Caprica? No, of course not. Why?" Adama's face paled. "She didn't take a bird out, did she? Lee?"

"I... I don't know. She wasn't in her bunk last night." Lee flushed at the words, realizing how childish they sounded, but held his ground and pretended not to see the way his father's eyes softened in understanding.

"I'm sure she's around somewhere, Lee." The Admiral strode into CIC and picked up the comm. "Dee, patch me through to the flight deck." A brief pause. "Chief. Are all of our birds accounted for? Including Lieutenant Thrace's? Thank you, Chief. No, that's all." Lee sagged against the console in relief as the receiver clicked into place, but quickly pulled himself up as the surroundings finally penetrated. CIC was quiet, with only a skeleton crew on this early, but most of them had at least one eye on the proceedings at the center console.

William Adama turned to his son and patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. "Don't worry, son. You know our girl, she always turns up." The Admiral paused, clearing his throat before stepping closer.

"Lee. I know the two of you are... close. If you ever need to..." He trailed off helplessly, not used to discussing such things with his son.

"I... thank you." Lee was stiff, but not as much as he would have been before the end of the worlds, or before Kara made her little speech a few days before.

_At least the Cylons are good for something - they brought my son back to me._

"You're welcome, son. Are you done with your run?"

Lee looked down at his attire in surprise, having forgotten everything else in the relief of finding that Kara hadn't ( _yet_ ) fled beyond his reach.

"Ah, no, actually. About halfway through."

"Well, don't let an old man keep you. Dismissed, Captain." For once, the use of rank between them was casual instead of insulting, and Lee flicked a salute before jogging back through the hatch. Adama watched his son go, wishing luck on Lee's retreating form, and turned back towards his own quarters.

_Well, at least she didn't put an entire galaxy between us this time._

Lee was irrationally cheered by the thought, but anyone who knew Starbuck would understand - history had shown that it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility for her to react in such a way. He didn't let himself dwell on his father's offer - he honestly didn't know if he would _ever_ be ready to discuss the intricacies of his relationship with his brother's ex-fiancee, and he was becoming annoyed at the constant indications that the whole damned Battlestar had known about the two of them before he did.

_Don't get ahead of yourself, Apollo. First, you have to figure out where she was last night and how mad she still is._

Lee's shoulders straightened with purpose, and he was able to finish his run in a much better frame of mind than he had started it in. He kept his eyes open, hoping to catch a flash of blonde hair, but Kara was still nowhere to be seen by the time he circled back to the bunkroom. Stepping through the hatch and moving towards his locker, Lee turned at the sound of Helo's sleep-roughened voice.

"She was looking for you last night, Apollo. Where the hell were you?"

Facing Karl's bunk where the Raptor pilot seemed to be just waking up, Lee went on the defensive. "Where was I? Where was _she_ , Helo?" Karl shook his head and levered himself into a sitting position.

"She was here when I went to sleep, Lee, and you weren't. We came in together from the gym. I told her not to over think it, but you know Kara..." Helo trailed off, experimentally prodding his black eye, and flexing his knee back and forth.

Taking a closer look at the man, Lee winced in sympathy. "She made you spar with her, didn't she? Gods, Helo, I'm sorry."

Karl grinned. "Sparring sounds a little tame, to tell you the truth, but I'll live." Switching back to his original question, he fixed Apollo with a look. "Seriously, Apollo, where were you?"

Lee heard the protectiveness in Helo's voice, and was glad that he could give the pilot a straight answer. "I fell asleep watching footage of yesterday's fight. By the time I woke up and stumbled back in here, it was nearly dawn and Kara's bunk was empty." He sighed and leaned his forehead against the cool surface of the locker. "We must have just frakking missed each other."

Helo chuckled, relieved that neither Kara nor Lee had made an irreparable mistake last night, and slid gingerly to the floor. "Sounds about par for the course, Captain. Ships that pass in the night and all that."

"Any idea where she went?" Lee tried for casual, but by the look on Helo's face the taller man wasn't buying it.

"I'll tell you what I told her: don't over think it. She probably went for a run to burn off some steam, or found some out-of-the-way place to hole up, where she didn't have to play Starbuck." As Helo's words registered, Lee cursed himself for not thinking of it before.

"Frak. Thanks, Lieutenant. Again."

Helo watched bemusedly as the usually-unflappable Lee Adama struggled to pull on his uniform and rushed out of the hatch with his boot still in hand. Surveying the now-empty room, he could only wonder what the frak he had said _this_ time.

_Well_ , he smirked, _at least_ he _didn't hit me!_

_***_

Kara was three turns away from the bunkroom when she heard him coming ( _she could always pick out his footsteps_ ). Not yet ready to deal with yesterday's mess, she ducked blindly around the nearest corner without realizing where she was.

"Starbuck?" The Admiral's voice was amused, and she spun around to see him with his hand on the hatch to his quarters, obviously returning from his morning inspection of CIC.

Snapping belatedly to attention, she risked a lightning glance over her shoulder and was relieved that Lee didn't appear around the corner - her admittedly ungraceful escape seemed to have gone undetected. "Uh, morning, Sir."

"At ease, Kara. Will you come in?" At a loss, Kara swallowed and preceded the Old Man into his quarters. "I was surprised to see Lee out alone this morning. Gotten kind of used to running into the two of you, lately." Adama smiled at his frozen pilot and gestured her towards a chair. "Sit, Starbuck. I'm not going to throw you in hack."

Snapping out of her daze, Kara forced a smirk to her face. "It's only 0700, Old Man. Don't make promises you might not be able to keep." He chuckled and nodded in acknowledgement, settling onto the room's only couch.

"What do you hear, Starbuck?"

Finally relaxing, Kara allowed herself a real smile. "Nothin' but the rain, sir."

They sat in silence that never grew uncomfortable, and Kara realized how much she had missed this. She and the Old Man had often spent time together before the attacks - he would work on his ship or read, and she would allow herself to just be _still_ \- a rarity for Galactica's Top Gun. Wistfully, Kara remembered that, occasionally, she had even been comfortable enough to pull out her sketch pad.

The Admiral was watching her unobtrusively, and so he was witness to the moment when, once again, Starbuck's mouth ran ahead of her mind.

"I think I'm in love with Lee."

He didn't know who was more shocked between the two of them, as Kara clapped her hands over her mouth and went dead white.

"Frak. Oh, frakking hell. Godsdammit. Admiral, I'm- "

Gathering his scattered wits, William Adama held up his hand to stop the flow of words. Knowing what her next move would be, he had her arm in an iron grip before she could bolt. She looked at him with wide, haunted eyes, and he sighed.

"Sit back down, Kara." Boneless, she dropped back into the chair. She felt numb - where the _frak_ had that come from? She knew she didn't have a great leash on her mouth, but this, _this_ was frakking unforgivable.

A tired sigh from the Old Man had Kara hunching her shoulders as if for a blow, and she wouldn't ( _couldn't_ ) look at him.

"I should have seen this coming. Hell, I _did_ see this coming." He rose, careful to keep himself between her and the door, and poured two tumblers of ambrosia.

"But, Zak..." Her words were barely a whisper, and he heard tears in her voice even though her hair was shielding her face from him.

"Here, drink this." She pushed her hair out of her face enough to see him holding out a glass. Blindly, she reached for it and tossed it back, barely feeling the burn of alcohol in her throat. Taking a large gulp himself, Adama sat far enough from Kara that she wouldn't feel trapped, but close enough to grab her if need be. The drink seemed to settle her somewhat, but she clutched the empty glass to her chest like a lifeline and she still wouldn't face him.

_Gods above and below, I am too old for this. What the hell do I do now?_

The silence stretched to its breaking point, no longer filled with the easy comfort of five minutes ago. Adama knew that if he didn't say something soon, he wouldn't keep her in this room. He had the feeling that Kara didn't even realize there were tears slipping down her cheeks, and he wasn't about to let her face the long walk back to the bunkroom in her current state. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak.

"I was hardly ever planetside while the boys were growing up. After the divorce, Zak was the only one who I talked to regularly because neither Lee nor his mother had anything to say to me." He paused appraisingly, and was encouraged when her head lifted slightly. "He was always going on about some girl or other, but once he started flight school that all stopped. I assumed it was because he was too busy with classes, but later I came to understand that it was because of you, Kara." He bowed his head at her muffled sob, but continued.

"Then, one day, he let slip about this woman he was seeing, and how amazing she was. A few weeks later, he confessed that she - you - were a superior officer, but I didn't know until later that you were teaching him Basic Flight."

"Maybe if he had told you, he would still be alive." Kara's voice was barely a whisper, and he hated the self-loathing that filled it.

"No, Kara. You need to understand something. Give me your eyes, Lieutenant, because I'm only going to say this once." Reluctantly, Kara lifted her head and forced herself to meet his eyes - she owed him that, and so much more.

"Zak never would have been failed out of Basic Flight, even if you hadn't passed him."

She jerked and opened her mouth to object but he continued ruthlessly, knowing his own voice was flat with regret. "Understand, Kara, that Zak was the son of William "Husker" Adama, decorated war hero of the Twelve Colonies. Even if I hadn't pulled strings to get him through myself, someone else would have. He would have been in that Viper no matter what. Do you understand me?"

Kara watched as the Old Man seemed to deflate, leaning back against the cushions. In a quiet voice, he said, "At least you did it because you loved him, Kara. That's a more noble reason than anyone else could have claimed."

She didn't know what to think. Had never considered that anyone's actions but her own could have saved Zak's life. Reaching out blindly, she grasped the Old Man's dry hand in hers and squeezed. Then, in one streamlined movement, she stood, turned, and flung her glass against the wall.

She stood there, still holding the Admiral's hand, and took a deep breath. "I hate godsdamned frakking politics." Hearing a choked sound, she looked down at the Old Man, only to realize that he was laughing soundlessly. She fell back into her chair, staring at him, while the Admiral of the remnants of the Colonial Fleet laughed until tears streamed from his eyes.

She waited him out, surprised by the calm that seemed to envelope her. She wasn't looking forward to the rest of this discussion, but it couldn't possibly be any more painful than what had already passed between them.

One thought kept echoing through her mind: _he doesn't blame me_. Kara knew that she would always feel the guilt of her decisions, which was only right, but she hadn't realized how much she needed the Old Man's reassurance. She had always wondered if their reconciliation had been influenced by his relief that she had returned to Galactica safely, and if he had regretted it afterwards.

"Tell me about Lee, Kara. How long has this been going on?"

Sighing, Kara dropped her head to the back of the chair and thought back to that dinner at Zak's apartment - it had happened a lifetime ago. Holding onto her newfound policy of honesty when it came to the Adama men, she gathered the courage to tell him the truth.

"It's... complicated." A long pause. "Nothing happened - frak, _almost_ nothing happened - until recently. Has Lee told you about the first time we met?"

"Through Zak, I presume. I don't know any details." Bill tried to keep his tone even and nonjudgmental.

"That's right. Lee was on planet, so Zak invited him over to the apartment for dinner so that we could meet. For some reason, we had never crossed paths at the Academy." Unable to contain herself, Kara stood up and begin to pace. Adama held back a smile, surprised that she had stayed still for so long. Swinging her head around, she met his eyes. "Are you sure you want to hear this, Old Man?"

He lifted an eyebrow at her, knowing she hoped he would give her an out. "I missed enough of my sons' lives over the years. I'll take whatever scraps I can still get, even if I might not like them."

She rolled her eyes and gave him a careful-what-you-wish-for smirk, but he saw the nerves behind the Starbuck bravado. "You're the Admiral. So, right from that first night Lee and I connected, which Zak told me later was pretty damned unusual - I guess Lee didn't like any of his other girlfriends. From then on, the three of us were practically inseparable." She paused, and grinned at him. "I'm sure you heard about Lee and I cleaning up at Triad the other night - no, don't give me that look, you know everything that happens on your boat. Anyway, let's just say we have had a lot of practice in setting them up and knocking them down, and most of it came from that summer."

Kara paused, and Adama watched as her eyes went flat and hard.

"Then Zak died. And I came up here with you. Until he came to Galactica for the decommissioning, we hadn't spoken since the funeral." She laughed self-deprecatingly, and threw herself back into the chair. "He came to see me in hack." She looked at the Old Man, then, and shook her head, smiling wryly. "There I was, doing pushups in a cell that practically had my name on it, and all he said was 'Well, this looks familiar'." She eyed Adama, waiting for him to do the math.

"He had bailed you out before?" He straightened, interested in spite of himself.

"No, not quite." Kara smiled to herself, knowing the Old Man would never believe what she was about to tell him. "Actually, _Zak_ bailed _both_ of us out, after a couple of Marines took exception to how many hands we took one night." She waited, enjoying his look of surprise at the idea of Lee, by-the-book Apollo, brawling right next to the infamous Kara Thrace.

"Huh." That was all he could manage, at first.

_That explains a lot, actually. They fought together before all of this, even if it was with fists instead of fighters._

"How did I never hear about this? I know it's not on Lee's record."

Kara just lifted her eyebrows and said lightly, "Oh, I called in a few favors. I already had a reputation by then, but Lee was still squeaky-clean. Anyway, we spent that night and most of the next day in lockup because Zak thought the entire situation was too hilarious for words." Her lips curled, and Adama decided that he didn't want to know what she and Lee had cooked up to pay him back for that. "Having had some experience with the situation, I already knew that the best way to pass the time was enough physical exertion to make you sleep. That's why he wasn't surprised to see me doing pushups here on Galactica."

Her voice trailed off, and she closed her eyes in remembrance of much simpler times. "Before we were... whatever we are now, Lee and I were friends. Now, besides Helo, he's all I have left."

"Kara." The softness in his voice brought tears to her eyes, and she looked away. "I'm glad that you and Lee are friends, and I'm glad to know that all three of you made such wonderful memories together - it's actually a great comfort to me. I know that you and Lee would never do anything to dishonor Zak's memory, and I also know that he would want, more than anything, for you both to be happy." Feeling every one of his years, he stood up and turned to her. Kara automatically stood as well, and braced herself for whatever came next.

"You are the most talented pilot I've ever had under my command, Lieutenant, and Lee holds his own against you. Together, you're unstoppable - the Cylons don't have anything that can match the pair of you in the air, and I can't allow anything to jeopardize one of our few advantages." He let that sink in for a moment. "I will not make exceptions for you, Starbuck, or for Lee - not about this. _If_ the two of you can continue to work together while figuring out what exactly you are to one another, then I give you my blessing to do so." Adama almost choked up at the way her eyes shone, but held himself in check. " _However_ , the first time - the very first time, Lieutenant - that your personal problems interfere with the way you fly or with the security of this Fleet, _I will put an end to it._ Do you understand me?" There was steel in his voice, and he hoped she knew that he meant every word.

"Yes, sir. _Thank you_." Kara's voice was shaky, and the Admiral could see the pulse pounding in the hollow of her throat.

"All right, then."

They both stood, unsure of how to proceed. With a shake of her shoulders, Kara pulled herself straight and flashed him a grin that was pure Starbuck.

"Permission to go find your son, sir?"

He chuckled and relaxed. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."

Turning, she strode confidently towards the hatch, attitude firmly in place. With her hand on the door, Kara turned to smirk at the Old Man over her shoulder. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

He raised an eyebrow, surprised that she had even asked, and said with some trepidation, "Permission granted."

"I think that you and the President should... _discuss_... exactly how these shiny new regulations apply to relationships between military officers and civilians. Us pilots shouldn't have all the fun!"

And with that rather startling observation, Galactica's Top Gun saluted him and strutted out of his quarters, hatch clicking shut behind her.

_Frak. Apparently Lee and I are equally bad at keeping a secret._

William Adama collapsed back onto the couch, Starbuck's parting shot tumbling around in his mind.

_Hmm, maybe she has a point..._

And with that, he picked up the com and requested a direct line to Colonial One.

***

Seventeen hours later, Kara barely managed to drag herself back to the storage room. Not even bothering to shed her grubby tanks, she fell in a heap on top of the pile of blankets she had left what seemed like days ago.

_Gods, could anything else have frakking gone wrong today?_

Although she was so tired she couldn't even lift her eyelids, Kara knew that sleep wasn't coming just yet. The events of the day scrolled through her head, and she was too exhausted to stop them.

Kara had been practically bouncing with determination as she left the Old Man's quarters.

_Gonna find him. Gonna fix this._ NOT _going to frak this up, not when the Old Man is actually okay with it._

Pilots and crewman alike scattered before her as she strode purposefully down the corridors - they were all well-practiced at noting the Lieutenant's "get out of my frakking way" face by now. Finally reaching the bunkroom, she threw open the hatch and turned straight to Lee's bunk, then rolled her eyes at what she saw in front of her.

_Perfect. Missed him again._

Lee's running attire was thrown haphazardly across his bunk ( _odd, for him..._ ), and the man himself was nowhere to be found. Belatedly, she remembered what had put her into the Admiral's line of sight in the first place - Lee had been out for a run.

_He must have finished late, not had time to put his things away._

"Looking for someone?"

Helo's amused voice sent her straight from annoyed to pissed off. Spinning towards the sound of his voice, she saw the tall pilot entering from the head, toweling off his cropped hair with one hand and holding another towel in place around his waist with the other. He grinned at her expression, far too much knowing in his eyes for Starbuck's comfort.

Throwing her hands on her hips, she spit at him. "You know, Helo, you'd think you had enough problems of your own, without being so damn interested in my life."

His grin only widened as he turned towards his own locker and let the towel fall from his body. Starbuck rolled her eyes again and turned her gaze back to Lee's empty bunk, as if she could simply will him to appear.

_Mmm, Lee in his bunk..._

The sound of Helo clearing his throat brought her back to herself, and she looked over at him nonchalantly, fighting a rising blush. His smirk let her know it was a lost cause, and she shrugged in defeat.

"So. Since you seem to be keeping tabs on us, do you know where Apollo is?"

Helo pulled an ever-present sucker out of his pocket and began to peel the brightly-colored wrapper. Popping it into his mouth, he spoke around the candy.

"Not at the moment. Woke up this morning to find you gone and him staring at your bunk, just like you were doing a minute ago. Very cute." He winked at her, and then continued before she decided to punch him again. "Told him what I told you - not to over think it - and figured you had gone for a run or something." Scanning her slept-in clothing, he cocked his head to the side. "Not your usual workout ensemble, Starbuck. Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere," she mumbled, not yet ready to share that particular tidbit. Trying again for casual, she leaned against the wall and asked, "Apollo say where he was last night?"

This time, his smile was sympathetic. "Fell asleep watching video footage. If I had to take a guess, I'd probably say of your little stunt yesterday, but that's just me. Anyway, he came in sometime after we did, but you were already gone."

Kara slumped and jammed her fingers through her cropped hair. "Frak." Then she remembered the last time Lee had found her bunk empty, and slid down the wall to the floor.

_Wonder if he ran straight to Baltar's quarters. If he did, wonder what he thought he'd find._

A slightly hysterical laugh escaped her then, and Starbuck leaned her head back against the cool metal of the wall. "What the hell were we thinking? This is frakking insanity."

She had practically forgotten Karl was still there, and the bitter edge in his tone made her jump.

"Gods, Kara, at least you two have a frakking chance, even if you are both hellbent on screwing it up."

Looking up, she saw him standing over her, his face closed and hard.

_Gods, I'm an insensitive... dammit..._ uncaring _bitch. At least I don't have to deal with being in love with a frakking skinjob._

Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet and laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Helo. Truly, I am." He turned his head to look at her, so she continued. "I... don't pretend to understand, but I wish I could help. I _will_ stop frakking crying on your shoulder all the time." She said the last with a little smile, and was glad to see him return it.

Karl let out a long sigh and let the tension flow out of his body.

"I'm sorry too. I really am glad that you and Apollo are finally going to get your chance - you deserve it. I just wish that Sharon and I... Well." And he broke off, knowing that there wasn't really anything to be said.

"Yeah, I know." And she did - Karl was her best friend, and she wanted him to be happy. The fact that his happiness seemed to require a toaster, well... she was just going to have to get used to that. "Hell, you stuck with me through boyfriends who were _lots_ worse than your little skinjob." She used the term lightly, rather than as the insult it usually would have been.

He grinned then, and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Boyfriends, Starbuck? I don't really remember many _boyfriends_... One night stands, however..."

She smirked. "Uh-huh, and proud of it. Besides, not like you were an angel either. 'Lieutenant Agathon, a girl at every port.'"

"Come on, Kara, I couldn't hold a candle to you on my best day - or my worst!" Only his strong arm around her saved him from a love tap, and they both knew it. Still laughing, he steered her out of the hatch and back into the busy corridor, heading towards the mess. "C'mon, Lieutenant. You can buy me breakfast."

***

The rest of the morning flew by, and although she kept an eye out for Lee, their paths didn't cross. She tried to ignore the niggling thought that he was avoiding her, but wasn't terribly successful. As a result, her afternoon flying class was in full "you can call me God" mode, and most of the Nuggets were just happy to make it out alive.

Shaking out her sweat-soaked hair, Starbuck just sat in her bird until the last sounds of escaping Nuggets had faded. Just as she began to stand, the Chief's head popped over the lip of the cockpit.

"You're going to have to stay in there, Lieutenant." His tone was apologetic.

"What the frak for, Chief? I'm not scheduled for CAP today."

"Just got word that Jammer and his wingman are both laid up in Medical - some kind of bug. We're shorthanded already, and you're the only one not already scheduled. I'll get a wingman out to you as soon as I can, Lieutenant, but we need you on patrol."

She didn't even bother to argue. Starbuck jammed her helmet back on, cursing under her breath, and waited for the signal to launch. Again.

Four circuits in, Dualla let her know that Hot Dog had just launched and would be joining her shortly. Starbuck's response was an unsurprised snort - she figured one of the Nuggets would get tapped for this. Thankfully, Hot Dog was well aware of his Flight Instructor's mood, and simply fell in behind her without undue conversation. She had actually begun to relax when her com crackled to life.

"Galactica Actual for you, Starbuck. I'm patching the Admiral in now." Dee's tone was cool and calm, like always.

"Copy that, Galactica. What can I do for you, sir?"

"We have a situation here, Lieutenant - half the ship has come down with some kind of food poisoning. Hardly any of your pilots are in any shape to fly, and the CAG's on Colonial One all day with the President. Cottle's got the right meds, says most everyone will be fit to fly in 12 to 18 hours, but until then we have to maintain CAP." He paused, waiting for a response.

"How long are we going to be out here, Admiral?" He could hear the annoyance in her voice, but was pleased that she accepted the situation for what it was.

"Might be a while, Starbuck. I'll find someone to relieve Hot Dog at the end of this shift, but you'll probably be up there for at least a double."

Closing her eyes, Starbuck fought the urge to let the entire CIC know what she thought of that. Gritting her teeth, she fought to steady her voice. "Copy, Galactica. If you need me, you know where to find me. Starbuck out." With that, she cut the line. Back in CIC, Adama shook his head but couldn't really blame her.

"Lieutenant Gaeta, find someone to spell Hot Dog at the end of the shift. And I want a report from Cottle in an hour."

***

Eight hours later, Starbuck wasn't about to dally around in her cockpit again - not even waiting for the ladder, she slipped over the edge of the cockpit and her feet hit the deck hard, bad knee twisting slightly. That jump took the last remaining dregs of energy she had, and she barely managed a half-wave in the Chief's direction before aiming herself towards the stairs.

Although she was starving, Kara wasn't willing to grab anything from the mess until someone figured out the source of the food poisoning - she had no intention of puking her guts out just because of a little hunger.

_Gods know I went without enough when I was a kid._

With that bitter thought to occupy her, Kara didn't even realize that her feet weren't headed towards her bunk. In fact, she found herself standing in front of the unmarked hatch of the storage room without knowing how she had gotten there. Too tired to turn back, Kara shrugged despondently and let herself in.

_Which brings us back to now, ladies and gentleman. And the greatest mystery in the frakking universe - why isn't Kara Thrace asleep?_

Flopping over to sprawl on her stomach, Kara clenched her eyes shut and willed her body to fall asleep. Tried to not think about the first time she had slept on this floor, with Lee wrapped around her. Tried not to imagine how godsdamned good that had felt.

Just as she was about to scream in frustration, she heard the telltale click of the hatch door. Heart racing, she forced herself to stay still and keep her eyes closed, ears straining.

_Lee._

She knew his step anywhere. Mind racing, she continued to feign sleep. She was too tired to deal with their personal drama right now, and the gods knew she was good at avoidance. The hatch clicked closed again, and she heard the pause in his step when Lee's eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw her lying there.

"Kara?" His voice was a whisper, and she didn't answer him. He sighed raggedly and she heard him take a few more steps, and then the slide of fabric against the wall.

_What the frak are you doing here, Lee?_

The silence lengthened, and she thought maybe he had fallen asleep. She started to shift, slitting her eyes open, when his voice stopped her.

"You're not asleep, Kara. I know what it sounds like when you sleep."

_What the hell does that mean?_

Stubbornly, Kara squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. Another sigh, and she heard Lee shift against the wall.

"I'm sorry about yesterday morning, Kara, but I'm too godsdamned tired to fight about it. I'll just go."

She heard him start to lever himself off of the floor, and found herself turning towards him.

"Wait..." she had to clear her throat, voice coming out hoarse. "Wait, Lee. Don't go." As her eyes adjusted, she got a good look at the man slumped against the deck. "Gods, Apollo, you look like hell."

He chuckled tiredly, and dipped his head in acknowledgement. "You don't look much better, Lieutenant. Heard you took your bird for an extended joyride."

Her snort made him smile. "Hardly a joy ride. More like eight frakking endless hours. With nuggets. At least when we flew that double, it was... interesting." Her lips curved unconsciously, and she finally relaxed back to lounge against the blankets. "What the frak happened yesterday, Lee?"

He had the grace to look embarrassed, and shook his head. "I frakked up. Realized I haven't been this happy since that summer, with you and Zak." He trailed off, then remembered what Helo had said to both of them. Meeting her eyes, he said quietly, "I overthought it."

Kara looked startled, and then rolled her eyes. "Frakking matchmaker, that one is. He give you 'the talk' too?"

"Not in so many words, but yes. You're lucky to have a friend like Helo, Kara." His voice was serious, and slightly wistful.

She sighed, and sat up. "I know I am. And I know I should have cut you some slack, but this... thing... is just so..." she waved her hands in the air, trying to come up with the right words.

"Frakking terrifying?" Lee volunteered, with a self-deprecating smirk. Kara barked out a laugh, and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Frakking terrifying. I'd rather fly against the entire Cylon fleet than be the one to screw this up, Lee. You have to know that." Her tone was defiant, but he heard the fear underneath the bravado.

"I do know, Kara. Can you forgive me enough to keep trying?" Head bowed, he lifted his gaze to her face.

Licking her lips, Kara threw up her hands. "Frak, Lee. After all the shit you've forgiven me lately, I can't very well cut you off for remembering one of the happiest times in _both_ of our lives, can I?" Picking up on the nerves in her voice, Lee decided that was answer enough for him, at least for now.

In a lightning change of mood that was more her style than his, Lee's eyes darkened and his face took on a hungry cast.

"Good. Because I've been dying to do this all day." His voice was a growl that sent shivers down Kara's spine. Without giving her time to react, Lee drew on the last of his reserves and launched himself towards her, hands tunneling into her hair and crushing their lips together. Too surprised to move, Kara's mouth fell open under his demanding lips, a whimper escaping her before she could stop it.

_Frak this._

Coming back to herself, Kara put both hands on Lee's chest and shoved. She couldn't help but grin at the shocked expression on his face, and she took a moment to admire his sprawled form.

_So godsdamned pretty._

Kara licked her lips, loving the way Lee's eyes widened at the movement. Crawling towards him on hands and knees, she didn't stop until her mouth hovered over his and she could feel his breath against her face. Although Kara struggled to keep a Starbuck smirk on her face, she could feel the expression softening around the edges as she looked into Lee's eyes.

Feeling the mood change yet again, Lee slowly lifted his hand to cup her cheek, and pushed the falling blonde locks out of her eyes.

"Kara." He whispered her name, trying to project everything he was feeling into his voice and his eyes. Lee knew he was getting through to her when Kara's mouth softened further, and she closed her eyes.

"I know, Lee. I know. It's ok. We fight - it's just what we do." She let herself fall, nuzzling into the side of Lee's throat as his arms came around her back. She chuckled slightly. "Helo said it was a frakking miracle we lasted even a few days without a major blowout."

Kara felt Lee's laughter from where she lay on his chest, and smiled against his skin.

"Helo is a wise man," Lee replied, and tightened his arms even more. The silence lengthened, but for once it wasn't uncomfortable between the two pilots. Just as Lee started to doze off, he felt Starbuck chuckle once again.

"What is it?" his voice was sleepy, and Kara snuggled against him.

"Just thinking. You know, we are probably the worst-kept secret in the entire frakking Fleet. Hell, even the Old Man knows what's going on. And then there's the two of us, flying merrily along without a frakking clue." She shook her head, laughing at them both, and lifted her head to look at Lee. Cocking her head to the side, she took in his neutral expression. "You know, Apollo, you don't seem too surprised about your father being in on our big not-so-secret secret."

He shrugged. It wasn't like his father had told him flat out that he knew what was going on, but the hints had been there. "You and I both know that he knows what is happening on his boat. We haven't exactly discussed it." She rolled her eyes at the thought of Lee and his father actually _talking_ about anything, and he made an annoyed face at her. "We do talk, you know, occasionally. Even without your meddling." His accusing glare bounced right off of her, and he gave it up with a small laugh. "You're not exactly subtle, Starbuck, with all of the over-dinner meetings you arrange between the three of us, and then mysteriously get called away during."

Kara grinned unrepentantly, and gave a shrug of her own. "You and I both know that subtlety's not exactly my strong point, Apollo." She looked so pleased with herself that he couldn't help but pull her down for another kiss. This one was playful, less demanding than the first one, and left them both smiling against each other.

Although her body was humming against him, Kara was the first to pull away. At Lee's small noise of protest, she smiled gently back towards him and tugged the blankets over to where he lay, and settled down next to him once again. Relaxing, Lee pulled her up against him, her back to his front. Grimacing slightly, he realized there was no way she wasn't going to notice just how happy his body was to have her there.

Sure enough, she chuckled low in her throat and pulled his arm tighter around her waist. "That stick I reference so often seems to have migrated, Apollo." And then she laughed again when she felt a blush heating his skin, and wriggled against him.

"Kara." Lee's voice was low, and slightly desperate. "Stop it."

Being Kara (and Starbuck), she ground her hips against him once again, and Lee decided that turnabout was most definitely fair play.

_Not like I'm pushing - she frakking started it!_

Yanking her hips into his, Lee wrapped one arm around her to keep her still and slid his other hand underneath the material of her tanks, questing upwards.

Kara still wasn't quite used to Lee being willing to turn the tables on her, and although she struggled against him, his arm was like an iron band around her. Which, she realized with chagrin, was quite a turn-on - she was an athletic woman, and hadn't been with many men who could match her, physically. 

She realized that she wasn't going to get away from Lee until he wanted to let her go just as his fingertips brushed against the underside of her breast, and the point became irrelevant. Her entire body shuddered as his clever fingers trailed up her chest, leaving trails of goose bumps behind them.

"Lee..." now it was her voice that was desperate, and he grinned. Remembering how sensitive he had found her neck to be, he began rubbing slow circles over her breast with his fingers, and leaned up to lave the tip of his tongue along the line of her throat.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" His voice was soft in her ear, and she jerked when he used her rank. He chuckled, and rolled her towards him, still keeping a good grip around her waist, but he faltered when he saw her face.

_Oh, gods. She looks..._

Lee took in Kara's flushed cheeks and messy hair. Coupled with the short, gasping breaths she was taking as he continued play his fingers over her skin, it was more than Lee could bear. His hand tightened over her breast, and the other brought both of hers up, pinning them to the deck above her head.

"Kara." His voice was steel, although she could feel his body trembling above her.

"What?" Struggling to focus, she managed that single, breathless word.

"You need to tell me, right now, if this is what you want. Because if I keep touching you, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop." Looking up at him, she knew just how much he was struggling to be a gentleman - to be _Lee_. Kara took a deep breath, trying to marshal some semblance of coherent thought.

_Is this what I want? Do I ever know what the hell I want? Gods, I want_ him _. That's it. Just him._

She opened her mouth to tell him so, her answer already filling her eyes... and the claxons for action stations rang through the ship like thunder. Caught completely unaware, Kara nearly jumped out of her skin, and then began to curse with amazing creativity, even by her own standards.

"Godsdamned frakking toasters. Couldn't they wait five more frakking minutes?!" Winding down her rant, she realized that Lee was still pinning her to the floor, and was grinning down at her like she was the best thing he had ever seen. At her glare of temper, he couldn't resist slipping a teasing fingertip down her breast once more, watching her eyes roll back into her head. Having to be satisfied with that, he jumped off of her, suddenly reenergized.

"Come on, Lieutenant. Let's go explain to the nice toasters why they should have better timing!" He practically sang the words out, and Kara couldn't help but grin. Pulling her off the floor and holding her close, he whispered, "I intend to continue this, Kara. Don't get shot."

With those words, he pulled her out of the hatch and they both sprinted towards the hangar deck, grinning like idiots.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Yesterday, neither pilot was seen racing the corridors, but were the first into their birds when action stations were called. The deckhands tried to believe that the flush in their cheeks was simply adrenaline._

The hangar deck was teaming with controlled chaos as Starbuck and Apollo descended the stairs at a sprint and raced towards their birds. Although no one spared more than a second to glance at the two ace pilots as they passed, their almost giddy demeanors did not go unnoticed. Later, when there was time to breathe, many a knowing eyebrow would be raised in speculation, but right now it was simply tucked away as an observation for later discussion.

The first pilots to reach their Vipers, Kara and Lee didn't hesitate to mount up, but did spare a precious second to lock eyes before slipping into their respective cockpits. Her grin widened when he mouthed "No takebacks!" at her, and then there was no time for anything but flipping switches and checking gauges, and finally the swift darkness of the launch tube before bursting into star-spangled space.

Kara Thrace lived for this moment, and never more so than when Lee was right next to her. Still grinning like a maniac, she sent her bird hurtling towards the heading relayed from CIC, never leaving her wingman.

"Galactica Actual to Apollo."

Lee heard the worry in his father's voice, and tried to concentrate on the words coming through the comm rather than the adrenaline that was slicing through his veins.

"Apollo, you and Starbuck are the only birds in the air right now. Other pilots are scrambling, but we're still on the early side of Cottle's window for everyone being back in flying form. We have nine Raiders on DRADIS, but you should reach them before they get to the outer edges of the Fleet. We'll signal you as soon as Galactica can jump. Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged, Admiral. We can handle it." Apollo's voice was confident, almost cocky, and if Adama didn't know any better he would almost think he had Starbuck on the line, rather than his son.

"Good hunting. Galactica out."

The comm clicked, and Lee knew they would meet the Raiders in less than 20 seconds.

"There are the _nice toasters_ , Apollo. Ready to show them the error of their ways?" Her voice was a purr in his ear, and he wondered how he ever flew without her.

"Copy that, Starbuck. I'll be sure to leave you a few!"

Lee's uncharacteristically playful words startled a bark of laughter out of her, and she narrowed her eyes at the challenge. "Game on, Apollo. Let's do this."

William Adama had never seen anything like it, and by the way the shorter man was staring at the Dradis display, he knew that Saul hadn't either. Three Raiders had been taken out in the first thirty seconds of the engagement, and the two Colonial Vipers were flying rings around the remaining six, angling for the kill shot - he didn't give the Cylons good odds, despite have the advantage in numbers.

Starbuck's cackle rang out over the comm, and Adama couldn't help but grin in admiration.

"That's three, Apollo. You're falling behind!"

Another light blipped out - one for Apollo.

"Not quite, Starbuck, not quite. There's one on your tail, I've got it..."

"Nice shot, Apollo. You _might_ not be _quite_ the worst CAG in the history of CAGs."

Lee just laughed, and Adama shook his head again and exchanged a look with his XO.

Smiling sardonically, Saul drawled, "Whatever they're doing outside of the cockpit, it's working. Maybe your little family isn't so frakked after all."

Three lights remained, and the count was even at three apiece.

"Sit rep, where are we?" Keeping an eye on the Dradis, Adama glanced at Dee for a Fleet update.

"Almost all of the civilian ships have jumped, sir. Still waiting on about five of the slower vessels. No sign of a Basestar."

He nodded and turned back to the console.

Noticing two new lights on the board, he picked up the comm. "Apollo, Starbuck, you've got two birds on the way."

"Copy that, Galactica." Lee's voice was slightly breathless, and he watched Starbuck's guns chew into a Raider's wing, sending it spiralling out of the fight. "Starbuck, you hear that?"

"Aye aye, sir! Let's mop this up, shall we?" Lining back up on Apollo's wing, she located the remaining two Raiders and made note of their positions.

_Frakking perfect._

"Lee - the way they're coming at us, look familiar? How about a Card Shark?" Her voice was gleeful over the comm, and the entire CIC knew that Starbuck was about to pull some retina-detaching stunt.

There was no audible reply, but Apollo's Viper banked smoothly a moment later, then moved into a steep dive. Starbuck angled above the nearest oncoming Raider, and, coming in fast, she veered at the last moment to fire towards its wingman - the resulting explosion and her swift change of course brought her through the field of fire unscathed.

A split second later, Lee completed the loop his dive had started and fell neatly into place behind the final Raider - the shot was almost too easy. The final Raider blew to pieces, and the entire engagement had taken less than five minutes.

Knowing full well that Cylon reinforcements could arrive at any second, Starbuck and Apollo turned their birds back towards Galactica and rocketed towards the safety of the hangar bay. The two Vipers that had been heading towards them turned smoothly and took up flanking positions.

"Kat and Hot Dog here. Nice shooting, sirs."

"You're a little late to the party, Kat, but thanks." The CAG's voice was still slightly breathless, but he was getting his pulse back under control as Galactica grew larger in his view screen.

"All Vipers, combat landings. Basestar spotted on Dradis. We're jumping as soon as you're in." Dee's voice was smooth, but all of the pilots put on an extra burst of speed.

"Kat, Hot Dog, call the ball. Starbuck and I are right behind you." As calm as Dee, Apollo directed the less experienced pilots towards safety. Noting that Starbuck fell into position beside him, Apollo risked a glance behind them. A Basestar had indeed appeared, but they were well away from the Galactica.

_They must have jumped to where the dog fight was - Raiders didn't have time to radio the position of the Battlestar._

Ordinance began streaking towards the Galactica from the Basestar's guns, but Kat and Hot Dog were already on the ground.

"Starbuck, show's over. Let's go home."

"Roger that, Apollo. On my way in."

Together, the two Vipers glided into the hangar, and pulled up sharply for picture-perfect combat landings.

"Galactica Actual, this is Apollo. We're clear."

"Copy, Apollo. Prepare for jump in three, two, one..."

Seconds before the warheads would have impacted, Lee felt the familiar twist of the Galactica's jump drives taking them to safety.

Lee let out a deep breath as his canopy slid open, adrenaline making his hands unsteady ( _only after the fight, never during_ ). Returning Cally's wide grin and thumbs up, he levered himself out of the cockpit and started down the ladder, searching for Kara in the crowd of pilots and deck crew. Lee had figured out a long time ago that it was actually harder to spot Starbuck herself than it was to find the mass of people inevitably surrounding her - Kara was always the center of attention.

_Ah, there._

Sure enough, he spotted Helo's tall form and a flash of blonde hair inside a knot of crew and nuggets, all straining to hear Starbuck's flamboyant rendition of the battle. His heart skipped a beat at her braying laugh and flying hands, and Lee thought that he had never felt so _alive_ as he did at this moment. A path opened before him, but Lee didn't even notice the people scrambling to get out of his way as he strode across the deck. For once, Kara didn't seem to sense that he was approaching, and so he had the distinct pleasure of seeing her eyes widen in surprise in the brief moment before his lips descended on hers.

There was a moment of utter silence across the hangar deck, and Kara's mouth didn't move under his.

_Oh, gods, please..._

Lee only had time for one silent, desperate plea, and then the woman he had loved for far longer than he should have threw her arms around his neck, kissing him back with a frantic intensity that almost made his knees buckle. The deck erupted with wild cheers and whistles, but the good-natured cries of "get a bunk!" and "it's about time!" were wasted on the entwined pilots at the center of the ruckus.

Gasping for breath and completely ignoring the gradually-fading chaos surrounding them, Kara and Lee clung to each other, unwilling to separate even for a moment. Kara's low chuckle finally caused Lee to raise his head, cocking an eyebrow in question.

"I think things just got more complicated, Apollo. This" - she gestured at the distinct lack of space between them - "was not exactly subtle."

"I'm sorry, I just... couldn't stand to wait a second longer." Kara heard the genuine apology in his voice, and shook her head in mock-annoyance.

"I'm not asking for an _apology_ , Lee." She rolled her eyes affectionately and tightened her grip in his short hair. "It's not like this is the first time you laid one on me after a mission! I just hope you're ready for the fallout, that's all. After this, there really _aren't_ any takebacks."

Noting the fear behind her laughing eyes, Lee did the only thing he could to convince her of how he felt. Lifting his hands to Kara's face, Lee kissed her again, soft and slow as a dream. When he finally felt her melt into him, the tension leaving her body, Lee pulled back and met Kara's eyes. "Not taking it back. Won't take it back. Never gonna get rid of me, Thrace." Then he laughed, and shook his head. "It's time to roll the hard six, Kara, and I've always got your wing."

Lee's heart lifted at the joy shining in her eyes, and he wasn't even annoyed when Helo laid an arm over both of their shoulders, grinning wide and breaking the moment. "You two," he stated, "have _impeccable_ timing!"

Brows knitting in confusion, Lee looked to Kara for an explanation. Kara looked lost for a moment, and then her eyes lit in realization. "You little frakker! You won the godsdamned pool, didn't you?!"

Helo threw his arms wide and grinned even wider, if that was possible. "That's right kids, you just won me the longest running bet on Galactica! So everyone, PAY UP!!" Karl's voice rose over the crowd and at least half of them groaned in response, knowing full well what all of the shouting was about.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to split that take with me, Lieutenant." Admiral Adama's gravelly voice was only audible to Helo, Kara, and Lee, and they all turned to see him standing behind them. "There was a last-minute entry for today." Adama's eyes were twinkling, and he enjoyed the way the two Viper pilot's mouths fell open in astonishment.

Lee was the first to recover. "You... Dad... you _bet_ on us?" Lee voice wavered between embarrassment and indignation.

Adama simply said "I always know what's happening on my boat," and winked at a now-grinning Starbuck, who could no longer contain her mirth.

"Oh my gods." She could barely get the words out between fits of giggles. "I... have... corrupted the _entire_ Adama family." By this point she was leaning against Lee's shoulder and only his arm around her waist was keeping her up. "You," she grinned, pointing at the Admiral, "have become an inveterate gambler, and you," she looked up at Lee, "just engaged in a very Starbuck-like public display of affection. My work here is done!" Pulling Lee's head down for a quick, intense kiss, Kara Thrace then strode away across the deck, grinning ear to ear and leaving three bemused men standing in her wake.

"I... uh..." Lee couldn't quite pull himself together. Shaking his head, Adama gripped his son's shoulders and pointed him in the same direction as Kara's departure.

"Go, son." With a gentle push, William Adama sent his son after Starbuck. Watching as Lee's pace sped into a jog and then a flat-out run, the Admiral clasped his hands behind his back to hide their trembling. Glancing over, Helo was touched to see the tears in the Old Man's eyes, and the small smile that he couldn't quite hide.

"Well, Sir, I believe we have some winnings to collect." Adama blinked, then met Helo's grin with one of his own and nodded.

"Lead the way, Lieutenant. It's about time _somebody_ won the frakking thing."

***

Kara Thrace was... elated. And terrified. And some other nameless emotion that made her legendarily-steady hands tremble like leaves in a gale. Despite all bravado to the contrary, the minute she had been out of site of Karl, Lee, and Adama, she had broken into a dead run and not stopped until she reached the storage room. Now, braced against the wall and hearing Lee's ( _it had to be him_ ) approaching steps, she tried to come to terms with everything that had just happened.

_Helo knows. The Old Man knows. The entire frakking crew knows._

Her breathing was somewhat steadier now - it was actually a relief to have it all out in the open.

_Guess I know I'm what he really wants, and Gods know I've wanted him from the very beginning. It really is time to roll the hard six._

"Kara?" Lee's voice was breathless as he threw open the hatch. Glancing around wildly, his gaze finally settled on her shadowy figure.

"Lee."

That single word was a promise and a declaration, and Lee was across the room instantly. Pressing her back against the wall, their lips fused together and Kara couldn't help the half-cry, half-sob that escaped her lips. Already breathing heavily, Lee worked his way down her throat and across her chest, while Kara clutched at his shoulders. Bringing her head down and burying her face in his neck, Kara whispered, "I love you." She hadn't given herself time to think about it, just let the words come out.

For an endless second, Lee froze in place. His breath shuddered out, and then he pushed away slightly so that he could see her face. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, Lee spoke words he had never thought would be possible.

"I love you too, Kara Thrace. I love you too."

_By the morning of the fifth day, the entire crew simply waited eagerly to see what would come next._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!!


End file.
